Saving Seafood

SFP sees improvement in sustainability of fisheries used for fishmeal, oil

October 9, 2018 — More than 90% of the fish used for fishmeal and fish oil from the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans now come from fisheries that are “reasonably well-managed (or better)”, according to the latest annual report on reduction fisheries by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).

SFP said its report, which analyzes 26 reduction fishery stocks worldwide, found that 91% of the total catch volume came from stocks that scored 6 or better on all five criteria outlined by SFP’s FishSource database. That’s an 8% increase over last year.

Poorly managed fisheries accounted for 9% of the catch, a drop from 16% last year.

Of the stocks listed in “very good condition,” the report singled out the Antarctic krill fishery in the Atlantic Southern Ocean as being particularly well-managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Report highlights how tuna fisheries can reduce bycatch

April 4, 2018 — Four environmental organizations have joined forces in an effort to reduce the amount of bycatch produced by longline tuna fishing operations.

In working with Greenpeace, Birdlife International, and The Nature Conservancy, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership released in late March detailing the impact longline practices have on other species. They hope to influence processors and retailers who wish to market sustainable tuna and want to improve the environmental performance of the fisheries who supply them.

In some cases, the species most impacted by longline tuna operations are endangered or vulnerable, such as sharks and sea turtles. Other species that can find themselves entangled in the lines include baleen whales and seals.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Unveils New Database to Evaluate Aquaculture Management

March 7, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) announced on Tuesday that they have launched a new approach to assessing sustainable aquaculture management in major production regions.

The nonprofit organization has published 35 profiles of farmed shrimp, salmon and pangasius across 10 countries. The profiles, which are available at www.fishsource.org, were written to “allow corporate buyers to assess specific production regions and better understand risks in their procurement strategies.”

“In SFP’s view, sustainably managed aquaculture requires best practices at the farm level, production zone level and national policy level,” SFP CEO Jim Cannon said in a press release. “The new methodology and profiles on FishSource offer a broad vision for sustainability managed aquaculture. SFP is inviting partners and industry to join us in adopting this ambitious new approach for aquaculture.”

SFP says that they plan to “continue developing and adding profiles to the database.” They hope that the tool will help businesses understand the risks affecting their supply chain.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.   

 

EU auditors’ report reveals lack of transparency of EU fishing in developing countries

October 21, 2015 — A report by the European Court of Auditors has revealed a lack of data that jeopardises the sustainability of EU fisheries agreements with third countries (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership agreements or SFPAs). According to the Common Fisheries Policy, EU fleets can only target the surplus of a stock, but the report questions the calculations of this surplus and if the actual catch data is reliable. Oceana is concerned about these findings, which adds to the long-existing absence of public information on vessels operating outside the EU.

View a PDF of the report

Read the full story at EU Reporter