We
are excited
to
share
with
you a
press
release from
Sea
Pact
in
regards
to the
Sri
Lankan
Tuna
Fishery
Improvement
Project!
Industry
Responds
on
Tuna
Sustainability
Needs:
Sea
Pact
brings
funding
support
to
Sri
Lanka
Tuna
Fishery
Improvement
Project
BARCELONA,
SPAIN,
June
18,
2018
–
Sea
Pact,
attending
The
State
of
Global
Tuna
Sustainability
Seminar
at
the
SeaWeb
Seafood
Summit
in
Barcelona,
today
announces
industry
funding
for
a
Fishery
Improvement
Project
(FIP)
to
reduce
the
impact
of
Sri
Lanka’s
longline
fisheries
for
yellowfin
and
bigeye
tuna
and
swordfish
on
endangered,
threatened
and
protected
(ETP)
non-target
species.
“We
are
heeding
the
call
for
industry
initiatives
and
support
in
collaborative
efforts
to
address
tuna
sustainability
needs”,
said
Rob
Johnson,
managing
director
for
Sea
Pact.
“This
is
the
first
project
to
be
proactively
funded
outside
of
our
annual
Request
for
Proposal
(RFP)
process”
stated
Johnson.
Sea
Pact
is
an
innovative
collaboration
of
ten
leading
North
American
seafood
companies
working
together
to
drive
seafood
industry
sustainability
progress
globally.
As
per
the
focus
at
the
Global
Tuna
Sustainability
Seminar,
tuna
is
an
iconic
key
species
across
the
global
seafood
industry
and
is
of
critical
importance
for
ocean
health
and
global
seafood
sustainability.
Sea
Pact
members
are
strong
proponents
of
sustainable
tuna
fisheries
to
provide
sustainable
food
and
jobs
and
healthy
marine
ecosystems.
The
Sri
Lanka
longline
tuna
fishery
has
relevance
in
all
Sea
Pact
member
companies
supply
chains,
therefore
this
purposeful
engagement
to
drive
impactful
change.
The
project
will
introduce
a
crew-based
observer
program
on
30
Sri
Lankan
longline
vessels
to
respond
to
the
problem
of
inadequate
information
and
data
regarding
ETP
species
discarded
from
Sri
Lanka’s
longline
tuna
fishery.
The
catch
monitoring
system
currently
in
place
uses
paper
logbooks
to
record
information
about
the
target
and
non-target
species
caught
and
landed
or
discarded.
This
method
is
not
sufficient
for
the
fishery
to
pass
MSC
performance
indicators,
and
this
will
be
addressed
by
training
and
supporting
fishworkers
to
record
retained
and
discarded
species
(including
ETP
species).
This
work
is
part
of
a
wider-scope
Sri
Lanka
tuna
fisheries
improvement
effort
being
implemented
through
the
Department
of
Fisheries
and
Aquatic
Resources
(DFAR)
and
in
conjunction
with
the
Seafood
Exporters
Association
of
Sri
Lanka
(SEASL).
Dr.
Steve
Creech,
director
of
pelagikos
pvt
ltd,
responsible
for
designing
and
managing
the
FIP
states
that
“the
new
sri
lankan
longline
FIP
is
an
initiative
of
the
Seafood
Exporters'
Association
of
Sri
Lanka.
The
commitment
demonstrated
by
Sri
Lanka's
leading
seafood
exporters
and
Sea
Pact's
generous
support
to
co-finance
a
key
sub
project
under
the
FIP,
are
already
having
an
positive
impact
in
terms
of
driving
the
fishery
towards
sustainability”.
The
FIP
is
listed
on
the
fisheryprogress.org
website
here:
https://fisheryprogress.org/fip-profile/srilanka-
tuna-and-swordfish-longline.
“We
look
forward
to
working
with
all
the
different
stakeholders
on
this
project
and
helping
drive
industry
change
on
tuna
sustainability
forward”
says
Hamish
Walker,
chief
operating
officer
of
Seattle
Fish
Co.,
and
chair
of
the
Sea
Pact
Advisory
Council.
About
Sea
Pact:
Sea
Pact
is
a
partnership
of
ten
like-minded,
leading
seafood
distributors
across
North
America:
Albion
Farms
&
Fisheries
in
Vancouver,
Fortune
Fish
&
Gourmet
in
Chicago,
Ipswich
Shellfish
Group
in
Boston,
Santa
Monica
Seafood
in
Los
Angeles,
Seacore
Seafood
in
Toronto,
Seattle
Fish
Co.
in
Denver,
J.J.
McDonnell
in
Baltimore,
Stavis
Seafood
in
Boston,
North
Atlantic
Inc.
from
Portland,
Maine
and
Euclid
Fish
Company
from
Cleveland.
These
companies
are
united
for
a
sustainable
future
and
are
using
their
collective
strength
to
lead
by
example
and
drive
improvement
of
environmental,
economic,
and
social
responsibility
throughout
the
global
seafood
supply
chain.
Sea
Pact
receives
sustainability
council
from
non-profit
organizations
Ocean
Outcomes,
Sustainable
Fisheries
Partnership,
and
FishWise,
and
is
a
project
under
New
Venture
Fund’s
501(c)3
non-profit
status.
To
learn
more
about
Sea
Pact
visit
their