Sea
* We will not sell fish that is endangered. We will stop sales of fish listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. We will also consult NGO-produced avoid lists and recommendations.
* We do not catch or impact endangered species as by-catch. We choose selective catch methods that are dolphin-friendly, albatross-friendly, bird-friendly, turtle-friendly and shark-friendly.
We commit to methods with low or near-zero by-catch. Any by-catch should preferably be consumed and not discarded.
* We do not fish juvenile fish as by-catch. If juvenile or younger fish are the target catch, we will be careful to choose selective methods that allow enough fish to swim on and live another day.
* We will chose fish stocks that are well-managed and/or where stock levels are either sufficient or sufficient to recover.
* We will avoid illegal fishing. We will not buy from boats listed as illegal by the FAO, by Regional Tuna authorities and by Greenpeace. We will keep this list updated. We will also avoid all areas where high incidence of illegal fishing and poaching have been recorded and where we have reasonable grounds to believe that illegal fishing is occurring and/or where, were it to be occurring, it would be at levels that endanger marine conservation or represent a form of theft from poor economies.
* We will support packers and fishing companies with good traceability systems, good buying procedures and a record for responsible purchasing and that follow relevant regulations and prohibitions, e.g. on catch, size or seasonal limits.
* None of the fish we pack is bottom-dwelling so none of our fishing methods involve possible damage to the ocean floor and consequent damage to the eco-system, for example coral reefs or the food and fauna on the ocean floor. If we were to add a bottom-dwelling species, for example any crab or lobster to the range, we would allow the most ecologically selective methods such as traps or pots.
* We do not use long-lines, purse-seiners setting on FAD’s or driftnets. We do not use bottom trawling or dredging.
* In tuna we do not use gillnets as this can cause a large by-catch of several dolphins species, gillnets in other fisheries can cause by-catch of porpoises and dolphins (as can pair-trawling – for example for seabass off the Southern coast of UK). Gillnets are used in the Alaskan and MSC certified fishery for salmon; in this case gillnets are an environmentally-acceptable choice as there is no by-catch and the net allows smaller/younger fish to escape the catch.
* We support the MSC sustainable fishing certification scheme. 70% of our lines will be MSC certified by the end of 2009.
* We support the concept of marine parks promoted by Greenpeace, the Marine Conservation Society and other NGO’s. Marine parks are essential to restore the eco-system to a pristine condition unharmed by mankind. Marine parks can actually benefit fishing in the wider sea by protecting and increasing numbers, especially if located in important spawning or feeding grounds.
* We support better managed seas and promote the idea of better management by insisting on sustainability as the key criterion of our selection.
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