Featured News
ISSF Welcomes Vietnam’s KTCFOOD as a New Participating Company
KTCFOOD Joins 23 Leading Seafood Companies Working to Drive Sustainability in Global Tuna Fisheries
Vietnam-based KTCFOOD has joined ISSF as its newest participating company. By aligning with ISSF — recognized as a leading force in the long-term conservation and sustainable use of global tuna fisheries — KTCFOOD will support science-based conservation initiatives, contribute to sustainability-focused research, and help promote responsible fishing policies and practices worldwide.
“KTCFOOD’s decision to join ISSF reflects a commitment to investing in a better future for tuna fisheries through credible, science-based action,” said Susan Jackson, ISSF President. “We are proud to welcome them to our global network of changemakers. With every new partner, we strengthen our commitment to building a seafood supply chain that is more transparent and sustainable — while advancing the health of tuna stocks and protecting the broader marine ecosystem through collaborative conservation efforts.”
Meet the ISSF Participating Companies
Featured Content
Advancing Shark, Mobula Ray, and Seabird Bycatch Research
ISSF’s at-sea bycatch-mitigation research includes testing Bycatch Release Devices (BRDs), such as release ramps, with purse seine fleets.
These ramps allow fishers to release bycatch animals from the upper deck of the purse seiner back into the ocean. While primarily designed for sharks — particularly silky sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks, which are often accidentally caught and are of special concern due to their low resilience to fishing pressure — these ramps are also effective for releasing other bycatch species.
BRDs not only enable faster animal release, which is critical for post-release survival, but also improve crew safety.
Learn More in the ISSF Annual Report
Featured Article
A new article in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, titled “Codeveloping On-Deck Conservation Technology with Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishers to Mitigate Elasmobranch Bycatch,” and co-authored by ISSF scientists, highlights innovative, co-developed bycatch release devices (BRDs) designed with tropical tuna purse seine fishers to improve the survival of sharks and rays.
These tools, including ramps, stretchers, and sorting grids, enhance crew safety and speed up releases, offering a practical win-win for conservation and fishing operations. The work also underscores the importance of long-term collaboration with fishers and growing market demand for sustainable practices.
A brief related video on the ICES YouTube channel offers an overview of the paper, including photos and video clips of BRDs.
