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Author: Lynne Mandel

Resource Round Up | All the Latest on Tuna Fisheries Sustainability

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

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ISSF investigates and promotes science-based approaches for ensuring the long-term sustainability of global tuna stocks and the marine ecosystem.

The ISSF team works collaboratively with peer scientists, academics, environmental experts, governing bodies, and other stakeholders on issues where we can advance our understanding about sustainable fishing — and make a positive impact.

We publish reports, develop resources, and host events that support fishery health in key areas: tuna conservation, fish aggregating device (FAD) management, marine ecosystem health, bycatch reduction, capacity management, and illegal fishing prevention.

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Our scientists document activities and insights from ISSF at-sea research projects, international workshops and meetings, and fisheries data analysis.

Peruse ISSF Reports

 
In addition to sharing research findings and analysis in ISSF reports, our scientists and advocacy experts co-author peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.

See a list of peer-reviewed articled co-authored by our Staff, Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) members, or other scientists whose projects were partially or fully funded by ISSF.

Access articles

 
Additionally, ISSF scientists, collaborating researchers, and members of the ISSF SAC submit papers to tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) on a variety of topics.

Dive in

Featured Resource

We produce interactive stories for our site — featuring exclusive video footage as well as original photography, illustrations, and animations — on sustainable fishing topics. Stories include:

Explore ISSF’s Web features for an immersive introduction to ISSF’s unique research and advocacy work.

Experience ISSF Web features

ISSF in the News

NOAA recommends funding for bycatch reduction projects
Seafood Source

SENA Panel: Achieving Full Traceability: The Need for Vessel-Level Data and Opportunities for Industry-Government Engagement
Seafood Source

REPORT: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

ICYMI

UPDATED REPORT: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

An effective allocation framework is fundamental to the implementation of sustainable fisheries management. An allocation is not necessarily an end in itself. Instead, it is designed to facilitate a final conservation and management objective. The first step is to limit participants in an effective way. Then, the fishing possibilities need to be defined — for example, fishing effort, catch, capacity, FADs, bycatch limits, or time and area. Initial allocations will necessarily result from negotiations among the participants, since there is no one formula that is either “best” or acceptable in every situation. Other steps include specifying rules for transfers of fishing possibilities and understanding the limitations of allocations. Transparent mechanisms for implementation and compliance are also necessary.

The Cordoba Conference (ISSF, 2011) was a follow up to another conference held the previous year: the Bellagio Framework for Sustainable Tuna Fisheries (ISSF, 2010), which was developed by a group of experts who concluded that sustainable tuna fisheries could be achieved by successfully implementing three pillars: capacity controls, rights-based management, and effective Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS). The Cordoba Conference expanded upon the second pillar, developing a series of concepts and recommendations for allocation of property rights (to flag states) and subsequent use rights (to individuals or groups within a flag state).

While the Bellagio Framework and Cordoba Conference were well received, the conceptof rights-based management has not gained much traction in tuna RFMOs. Yet allocation discussions continue to be urgently important and involve difficult and contentious negotiations for many stocks globally.

An updated report, Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries: Lessons Learned from the Cordoba Conference, reprises the allocation concepts of the Conference, but without a focus on property rights. Some of the concepts have been expanded to make them more useful to stakeholders. Co-authors Dr. Dale Squires and Dr. Victor Restrepo intend to recast the report as a useful tool for today’s participants in allocation negotiations.

Read the Update

 

Featured Graphic

An infographic shows the size and fishing capacity of the large-scale purse-seine fleet fishing for tropical tunas worldwide, based on ISSF research. It also indicates how ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) helps to provide transparency of the fleet’s fishing activities, including changes in fish hold volume.

View

 

Featured Report

Snapshot of the Purse Seine Fishing Fleets Shows 3% Increase in Fishing Capacity Despite Slight Decrease in the Number of Large Scale Purse-Seine Vessels; 78% of Vessels Listed on ISSF ProActive Vessel Register  

ISSF has updated its Snapshot of Large-Scale Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets report for 2024. The report shows approximately 650 vessels defined as large-scale purse-seine (LSPS) vessels are fishing for tropical tuna species, a slight decrease from last year, with a combined fishing capacity of 863,000 m3 (cubic meters), a 3% increase from last year.

Purse seine fishing vessels catch about 66% of the 5.2 million tonnes of tuna caught annually worldwide. ISSF analyzes and aggregates information from the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other sources to create this annual report focusing on LSPS vessels targeting tropical tuna species: skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye.

Learn More

  

SLIDESHOW: Setting Sail for Science

Biologist Dr. Melissa Cronin spent six weeks on board the purse seine vessel Andrea 1, which left from Manta, Ecuador in March 2024. Melissa traveled as part of an ISSF-and-partners project to test a bycatch reduction device for manta and devil rays.

A slideshow of images offers a behind-the-scenes look at Melissa’s experience on a working fishing vessel and reviews the goals and outcomes of this collaborative research.

Join the Journey

 

 

Guide: Helping Fishers Build Netting-free, Biodegradable FADs

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

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Jelly-FAD Construction Guide Helps Fishers Build Netting-free, Biodegradable FADs for More Sustainable Tuna Fishing

ISSF offers a comprehensive step-by-step guide that shows commercial tuna fishers how to build “jelly-FADs” — an innovative nearly 100% biodegradable and non-entangling design for fish aggregating devices (FADs).

For many years, FADs have been a widely used fishing strategy due to their high efficiency for catching tuna. About 38% of the global tuna catch is made with FADs. But conventional FADs can have negative impacts, such as contributing to overfishing, bycatch, and marine pollution.

To reduce FAD fishing’s effects on non-target marine animals and ocean ecosystems, ISSF scientists developed the jelly-FAD in collaboration with physical oceanographers from the Instituto de Ciencies del Mar (CSIC) and tuna fleets — testing and refining the design through workshops, lab research, and at-sea trials in real fishing conditions.

“The Jelly-FAD Construction Guide shows tuna fishers how to build what we believe is the most sustainable non-entangling FAD to date,” said Dr. Gala Moreno, ISSF senior scientist. “The jelly-FAD represents a new concept in drifting FADs (DFADs), whose structure and materials have been relatively static for decades. To make jelly-FADs, you do not need to have unusual materials, special equipment, or advanced carpentry skills. We intend the jelly-FAD to be as simple and affordable as possible for fishers around the world to build.”

Inspired by the neutral buoyancy of jellyfish, the jelly-FAD design not only is made without netting but also is almost completely biodegradable, and it offers additional sustainability and durability advantages over previous non-entangling FAD (NEFAD) and biodegradable FAD (bio-FAD) designs.

Download the Guide

 

ICYMI

Web Feature Explores Challenges and Solutions in FAD Fishing

“Fresh Thinking About FADs” is an immersive ISSF Web feature that illustrates efforts to foster sustainable fishing approaches, including the jelly-FAD. It tells the visual story of improving FAD design and management as readers scroll through interactive content that includes animated infographics and under-water photography.

“Fresh Thinking” describes how FADs have changed over time; the environmental drawbacks of conventional FAD designs; the jelly-FAD characteristics that help to reduce bycatch and ocean pollution; and science-based solutions for more sustainable FAD design and management, which ultimately support healthier tuna fisheries and oceans.

“No fishing method is without impact, but collaborative efforts are making fishing with FADs more sustainable,” noted Victor Restrepo, Vice President, Science, ISSF. “We still have work to do toward improving the use of FADs while ensuring that there are plenty of fish in the sea. But we’ve made substantial progress to date. ISSF and likeminded organizations will continue to work toward achievable, science-based solutions for reducing the impact of FAD fishing on global tuna fisheries and the broader marine ecosystem.”

Experience the web feature

 

Featured ISSF Conservation Measure

ISSF Participating Companies are seafood companies that commit to conform to ISSF conservation measures (CM) for improving the long-term health of tuna fisheries. We adopted CM 3.7 Transactions with Vessels or Companies with Vessel-Based FAD Management Policies as part of our commitment to supporting better FAD management globally. All companies were in full conformance with CM 3.7 in our June 2024 audit and compliance report.

Review ISSF CM 3.7

 

Featured Resource

Tracking Vessel FAD Best Practices on VOSI

Independently verified by auditor MRAG Americas, the Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) list is a public transparency tool that shows which tuna vessels have made voluntary commitments to more sustainable fishing — commitments beyond the items tracked on the ISSF ProActive Vessel Register (PVR), which are exclusively tied to ISSF conservation measures.

VOSI indicates if a vessel is:

  • Using only fully non-entangling FADs (with no netting)​​
  • Providing FAD echosounder biomass data​​
  • Providing FAD buoy daily position data
  • Participating in biodegradable FAD trials
  • Participating in FAD recovery initiatives
  • Participating in a FIP or MSC-certified fishery​
  • Participating in an In Transition to MSC (ITM) fishery ​​
  • Has installed and is using electronic monitoring systems (EMS)​

Explore VOSI

Tuna RFMOs & Electronic Monitoring (EM) | How are RFMOs Embracing EM?

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

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What is Electronic Monitoring?

An electronic monitoring system (EMS) is an advanced fishing-monitoring system installed in fishing vessels that integrates a set of components for continuously recording information during fishing trips. EMS largely consist of cameras integrated with GPS that register exact positions, and sensors that start recording when they detect specific actions on the vessels — such as setting or hauling fishing gear.

EMS, if properly installed and designed, can be considered a reliable and accurate method to estimate catches and monitor fishing activities onboard vessels. EMS can be valuable for science and compliance purposes.

Learn more by accessing relevant reports, op-eds, and infographics on our EM landing page on the ISSF website. 

Dive in

ICYMI

BLOG: Focused Effort by IATTC on Electronic Monitoring Brings Critical Progress, Sets Example for RFMO Negotiations

By adopting interim EM minimum standards, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is poised to improve monitoring levels — making more data available for scientific work and for assessing the implementation of management measures. More importantly, in swiftly and successfully tackling a complex problem, IATTC has demonstrated that the RFMO decision-making process can be both efficient and constructive. Now IATTC must dedicate resources and energy to the next phase of its work: promoting the value, implementation, and use of EM across the EPO.

IATTC is the third major tuna RFMO to adopt EM standards. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) — which has an overlap in convention areas and vessels with IATTC — remains the only tuna RFMO without minimum EM standards. ISSF challenges WCPFC to join its peer tuna RFMOs by filling this important gap when the Commission convenes later this year.

Read more

Featured Graphic

In this infographic, ISSF benchmarks tuna RFMO requirements for observer coverage — including electronic monitoring (EM) — against best practices.

The infographic tracks priority areas for reform, indicating whether an RFMO has the priority reform in place, has a partial reform in place, or does not have a reform in place.

View

 

ISSF in the News

IATTC adopts electronic monitoring standards, improvements to compliance processes
Seafood Source

IATTC electronic monitoring ‘win’ welcomed
World Fishing & Aquaculture

The State of Tuna Fishing: What You Need to Know
Speak Up for Blue Podcast Network: How to Protect the Ocean Podcast

 

Progress on Electronic Monitoring at IATTC Annual Meeting | ISSF Reviews Outcomes for EPO Tuna Fisheries

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring is Top “Win” for Improved Tuna Fisheries Management at IATTC Annual Meeting
Focused Effort on Electronic Monitoring Brings Critical Progress, Sets Example for RFMO Negotiations

ISSF is welcoming positive outcomes for Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) tuna fisheries at the conclusion of the September 2-6 annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

We are especially pleased that the Commission reached agreement on interim electronic monitoring (EM) standards, demonstrating how focused and motivated collaboration at tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) can yield substantive steps for the long-term, sustainable management of the world’s fisheries.

Continue Reading

On-the-Water Transparency

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

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REPORT: Vessel Compliance with ISSF Conservation Measures

The recently published ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & ProActive Vessel Register Compliance Report shows how 23 ISSF participating companies performed against 33 ISSF conservation measures for sustainable fishing in effect in 2023. For the first time, the compliance report also indicates how vessels listed on ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) performed on the 12 ISSF measures that directly address vessel activity. PVR vessels achieved a 75.78% conformance rate in 2023.

View the Report

 

Quote of Note

“ISSF’s Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) and ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) provide the fishing, processing, and market sectors with critical, third party-verified tools for demonstrating vessel commitment to sustainability initiatives. They serve as a unique data stream for retailers and processors who need to track progress against sustainability commitments and reporting.”

— Ben Gilmer | Chair, ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee & Director, Large-Scale Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

In a contribution to ISSF’s annual report, Navigating Toward Sustainable Tuna Fisheries, Ben Gilmer reviews collaborative efforts toward providing the vessel-level data needed to manage fisheries sustainably.

Continue reading “Tools for Transparency”

 

Featured Graphic

Electronic Monitoring (EM): RFMO Requirements

All tuna RFMOs are making progress in using electronic monitoring (EM) systems to provide on-board vessel monitoring.

Download

 

ISSF in the News

Snapshot of the Large-Scale Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets

Fish Focus

ISSF reveals priorities ahead of IATTC meeting

World Fishing & Aquaculture

 

BLOG: Priorities for Eastern Pacific Tuna Fisheries | Improving Transparency & Accountability for EPO Fisheries

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

BLOG: Eastern Pacific Ocean Fisheries Managers Must Continue to Strengthen Compliance Processes and Expand Vessel Monitoring

Today, we live in an era of heightened expectations for more transparent and responsible practices across seafood supply chains. Stakeholders are increasingly appealing to regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) for stronger commitments to assess the implementation of the policies they adopt and to increase the level of on-the-water monitoring. These practices are especially important for a vital, global food resource like tuna, which is most often harvested far from shore.

Strong, transparent compliance policies and practices improve fisheries management because they hold RFMOs’ member countries accountable. Robust vessel-level monitoring is critical to effective fisheries management, compliance monitoring, and independent verification of catch and bycatch data. In recent years, IATTC has taken important steps to improve its compliance processes as well as develop vessel-based electronic monitoring (EM) programs. Yet more action is needed to further enhance the IATTC compliance regime and to put comprehensive monitoring coverage in place for all gear types.

The ISSF 2024 IATTC position statement outlines our organization’s asks related to these and other important areas. In this blog, we address why this work is crucial to sustainable fisheries management. We also recommend the specific efforts IATTC should make at its upcoming annual meeting.

Continue reading

 

Featured Graphic

Tuna RFMO Requirements for Compliance Processes

In a new infographic, ISSF benchmarks tuna RFMO requirements for compliance processes against best practices.

The infographic tracks priority areas for reform, indicating whether an RFMO has the priority reform in place, has a partial reform in place, or does not have a reform in place. 

View

 

Featured Content

Common Oceans Tuna project takes stock of progress in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainability in tuna fisheries
Achievements made in bycatch reduction, fishery management, and climate change mitigation celebrated at yearly gathering

At the annual meeting of the Common Oceans Tuna project, partners —  tuna RFMOs, industry representatives, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including ISSF — took stock of progress in making tuna fisheries more sustainable and provided guidance on the continued work of the project. The meeting also underscored the partnership’s continued global commitment to preserving tuna populations and ensuring the health of our ocean ecosystems through collaborative and informed approaches.

Read the Update

 

 

ISSF in the News

Tuna fleet analysis shows minor capacity increase

Fisker Forum

 

 

REPORT: Changes in the Global Purse Seine Fleet | PLUS: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

NEW: Snapshot of the Large-Scale Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets 

Report Shows 3% Increase in Fishing Capacity Despite Slight Decrease in the Number of Large Scale Purse-Seine Vessels; 78% of Vessels Listed on ISSF ProActive Vessel Register 

ISSF has updated its Snapshot of Large-Scale Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets report for 2024. The report shows approximately 650 vessels defined as large-scale purse-seine (LSPS) vessels are fishing for tropical tuna species, a slight decrease from last year, with a combined fishing capacity of 863,000 m3 (cubic meters), a 3% increase from last year.

Purse seine fishing vessels catch about 66% of the 5.2 million tonnes of tuna caught annually worldwide. ISSF analyzes and aggregates information from the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other sources to create this annual report focusing on LSPS vessels targeting tropical tuna species: skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye.

Learn More

Featured Graphic

An infographic shows the size and fishing capacity of the large-scale purse-seine fleet fishing for tropical tunas worldwide, based on ISSF research. It also indicates how ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) helps to provide transparency of the fleet’s fishing activities, including changes in fish hold volume.

View

Featured Content

UPDATED REPORT: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

An effective allocation framework is fundamental to the implementation of sustainable fisheries management. An allocation is not necessarily an end in itself. Instead, it is designed to facilitate a final conservation and management objective. The first step is to limit participants in an effective way. Then, the fishing possibilities need to be defined — for example, fishing effort, catch, capacity, FADs, bycatch limits, or time and area. Initial allocations will necessarily result from negotiations among the participants, since there is no one formula that is either “best” or acceptable in every situation. Other steps include specifying rules for transfers of fishing possibilities and understanding the limitations of allocations. Transparent mechanisms for implementation and compliance are also necessary.

The Cordoba Conference (ISSF, 2011) was a follow up to another conference held the previous

year: the Bellagio Framework for Sustainable Tuna Fisheries (ISSF, 2010), which was developed by a group of experts who concluded that sustainable tuna fisheries could be achieved by successfully implementing three pillars: capacity controls, rights-based management, and effective Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS). The Cordoba Conference expanded upon the second pillar, developing a series of concepts and recommendations for allocation of property rights (to flag states) and subsequent use rights (to individuals or groups within a flag state).

While the Bellagio Framework and Cordoba Conference were well received, the concept of rights-based management has not gained much traction in tuna RFMOs. Yet allocation discussions continue to be urgently important and involve difficult and contentious negotiations for many stocks globally.

An updated report, Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries: Lessons Learned from the Cordoba Conference, reprises the allocation concepts of the Conference, but without a focus on property rights. Some of the concepts have been expanded to make them more useful to stakeholders. Co-authors Dr. Dale Squires and Dr. Victor Restrepo intend to recast the report as a useful tool for today’s participants in allocation negotiations.

Read the Update

 

ISSF in the News

Global Tuna Stocks’ Sustainability Evaluated Against MSC Criteria
Fish Focus

ISSF urges enhanced transparency in Eastern Pacific tuna fisheries
Undercurrent News

 

Priorities for Eastern Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries | ISSF Appeal to Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

NEW: ISSF IATTC Position Statement

ISSF has published its top priorities for fisheries managers convening at the 102nd session of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), which will take place September 2-6, 2024, in Panama.

The statement leads with a call to action on improved compliance processes and also covers topics in these categories: tuna stock conservation, FAD management, electronic monitoring and reporting, observer coverage, harvest strategies, bycatch mitigation and shark protections, vessel monitoring systems, port state measures, and capacity.

A Spanish version is available.

Download

 

Featured Graphic

Tuna RFMO Requirements for Compliance Processes

In a new infographic, ISSF benchmarks tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) requirements for compliance processes against best practices. The infographic tracks priority areas for reform, indicating whether an RFMO has the priority reform in place, has a partial reform in place, or does not have a reform in place.

View

 

Peer Reviewed Article

Marine Policy:  The use of corrective action frameworks in international fisheries management

Compliance frameworks are important to promoting sustainable management of shared fisheries resources through the robust and transparent assessment of the implementation of conservation measures by States that are party to international agreements. This paper provides a review of existing compliance frameworks, with a special focus on corrective actions to respond to non-compliance in regional fisheries management organisations or arrangements, as well as a selection of multilateral environmental organisations. The analysis of the surveyed schemes of corrective actions identifies common themes and practices, which can provide a foundation on which to support the development of, or refinement of existing, schemes of corrective actions by other international organisations or arrangements.

Download the Paper
More Articles from ISSF & Partners

 

ISSF in the News

Global Tuna Stocks’ Sustainability Evaluated Against MSC Criteria
Fish Focus

 

Just under half of global tuna stocks now meet MSC overfishing standard
Undercurrent News

Global Tuna Stocks & the MSC Standard | 12 Tuna Stocks Not Meeting Criteria for MSC Fisheries Standard

Written by Lynne Mandel on . Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

12 Tuna Stocks Not Meeting Criteria for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard 

Updated Report Determines 11 Tuna Stocks Achieve Passing Scores on MSC Principle 1  

Fisheries scientists in An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Criteria — a June 2024 report commissioned by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — found 11 of the 23 major commercial tuna stocks worldwide are successfully avoiding overfishing and maintaining target stock biomass levels when measured against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard. In the March 2023 edition of the ISSF report, eight stocks passed Principle 1. In this year’s report, three additional stocks received a passing score.

The 11 stocks are Western Atlantic skipjack, North Atlantic albacore, South Atlantic albacore, Eastern Atlantic bluefin, Western Pacific yellowfin, Western Pacific bigeye, Western Pacific skipjack, Eastern Pacific yellowfin, Eastern Pacific skipjack, Indian Ocean skipjack and Southern Ocean bluefin. These stocks achieved a passing score for the Standard’s Principle 1, “Sustainable Fish Stocks,” which requires fisheries to be managed in a manner that does not lead to overfishing or depletion of exploited fish populations.

Seven of the 23 stocks also have fully implemented well-defined harvest control rules. However, failure to implement controls before rebuilding is required continues to contribute to an increasing number of stocks failing to meet minimum requirements on harvest control rules.

An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Criteria was authored by Paul A. H. Medley and Jo Gascoigne.

Read More

Download the report

 

Featured Graphic

Summary of Sustainable Tuna Stocks (MSC Principle 1)

A graphic shows what the average scores based on Principle 1 have been since 2013, and how they have changed over time.

View

 

ICYMI

Annual Conservation Measures & PVR Compliance Report 

The recently published ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & ProActive Vessel Register Compliance Report shows how 23 ISSF participating companies performed against 33 ISSF conservation measures for sustainable fishing in effect in 2023. The report indicates a 98.95% company conformance rate, with 16 companies fully compliant on all measures. 

For the first time, the compliance report also indicates how vessels listed on ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) performed on the 12 ISSF measures that directly address vessel activity. PVR vessels achieved a 75.78% conformance rate in 2023.

The compliance report was published concurrently with ISSF’s 2023 annual report, Navigating Toward Sustainable Tuna Fisheries.

Download or View the Compliance Report 

 

Quote of Note

“ISSF’s work is making a significant difference on the front lines of the world’s tuna fisheries.”
– Tony Lazazzara, Chair, ISSF Board of Directors & Director of Global Fish Procurement, Thai Union Group

 

Q&A

Verifying Sustainability Commitments in the Global Seafood Supply Chain

As part of its commitment to foster transparency and accountability in the fishing industry, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to assess ISSF participating seafood companies’ compliance with ISSF conservation measures according to a rigorous audit protocol. ISSF President Susan Jackson sat down with MRAG Americas Vice President Dr. Graeme Parkes to discuss the ISSF audit and compliance process.

Read