International Pole and Line Foundation adds U.K. firm as member

New England Seafood, a supplier of fresh and frozen fish and seafood in the United Kingdom, has become the newest member of the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF).

The nonprofit IPNLF, with offices in the U.K. and the Maldives, works to develop, support and promote socially and environmentally responsible pole-and-line and handline tuna fisheries around the world.

IPNLF International Coordinating Director Emily Howgate said its members assist the organization in helping to point out and publicize failings in fisheries management and developing product lines that use tuna caught using one-by-one catching methods.

“The International Pole & Line Foundation is a hub for companies like New England Seafood who, through their commitment to responsible sourcing, understand that managing fisheries for highly migratory species such as tuna is a complex undertaking and also that improved international management regimes are essential to helping drive the sustainable and equitable development of tuna fisheries,” Howgate said.

New England Seafood sources more than 30 species of wild and farmed fish and seafood from over 40 countries worldwide and is one of the U.K.’s largest importers of fresh tuna. Its processing plant near London supplies products to retailers including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Ocado, as well as smaller retail outlets, restaurant chains, foodservice and wholesale sectors. The company is the 35th member of IPNLF.

“Through our membership of IPNLF, we look forward to further encouraging all interested parties, particularly the member states and cooperating non-members of the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) towards improved tuna management,” New England Seafood Managing Director James Robinson said. “We recognize that by supporting IPNLF and its advocacy work in one-by-one fisheries, this will have a wider benefit for global tuna stocks generally, as delivering a healthy tuna stock will require proper management of all methods of fishing.”

In his company’s announcement, Robinson called attention to the upcoming Indian Ocean Tuna Commission meeting in Le Reunion, France later this month.

“Alongside IPNLF, New England Seafood believes that through the development and adoption of effective harvest strategies for all tuna species, the IOTC has a real opportunity to strengthen the overall management regime in the Indian Ocean. These are critical first steps in ensuring the long-term viability of these fisheries as well as the communities that depend upon them,” Robinson said.

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