San Diego, California, U.S.A.-based importer and distributor Seafood Imports has been inducted into the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF) as its latest member, the non-profit association announced on 30 September.
Seafood Imports, which was founded in 1997, is a provider of specialty seafood products to the international foodservice industry, with direct sourcing from South Africa and Asia. Among the company’s offerings are private label sashimi-grade JAVA and JAVA Kosher tuna products, which contain wild, one-by-one caught tuna sourced from the Indian Ocean courtesy of Indonesia. Exclusively packaged for Seafood Imports, the JAVA and JAVA Kosher tuna products are sold to U.S. customers.
“Our company is guided by the core company values of customer success, integrity, innovation and teamwork,” said Michael Berkowitz of Seafood Imports, which has representatives in both Indonesia and the United States. “To live up to these values, it is essential that we do all that we can to support the health of the oceans that we have long been sourcing from. IPNLF membership underlines our commitment to safeguarding one-by-one tuna fisheries and the communities they support, and we look forward to contributing to the organization’s essential work in this space.”
As a member of IPNLF, Seafood Imports is committed to developing and supporting responsible one-by-one tuna fisheries and supply chains, IPNLF explained.
“Through its commitment to a sustainable seafood industry, the company ensures that all of the products it sources are caught responsibly and that the fisheries adhere to practices that are consistent with the maintenance of healthy oceans and fish stocks,” the association said in a press release.
A business that is “deeply committed to the development of sustainable fishing communities,” according to the release, Seafood Imports actively partners with fisheries and suppliers that are socially responsible and follow strict sustainability policies.
“As a major advocate for sustainable fisheries and supporting fishing communities, Seafood Imports is a very welcome new addition to our Member network. They are ideally placed to inform the US retail and foodservice sectors about the importance of supporting one-by-one caught tuna and the positive economic and social impact that such purchasing decisions can have,” added Debbie Wirtjes-Lewis, the communications and marketing director of IPNLF.