The Walton Family Foundation and Darden Restaurants announced plans today to create a new fishery improvement partnership (FIP) fund to address overfishing.
Darden is serving as the fund’s initial contributor, while the foundation begins work to secure additional contributors. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will manage the fund.
“We believe in a collaborative approach to support healthy ecosystems and are proud to serve as an initial contributor to the Fishery Improvement Partnership Fund as a sustaining and solution-oriented model for change,” said Brandon Tidwell, Manager of Sustainability for Darden Restaurants. “We are committed to catalyzing and supporting healthy fisheries to ultimately ensure a sustainable global seafood supply for future generations.”
The fund’s first project will support the spiny lobster fishery in Honduras, which, according to the fund announcement, suffers from poor management and governance.
“The foundation supports efforts to improve the long-term health and sustainability of fisheries around the world, and this collaborative model is a natural next step in that commitment that we look forward to replicating across the globe,” said Scott Burns, director of the Walton Family Foundation’s environment program. “The Fishery Improvement Partnership Fund aligns with our mission to find lasting, common-sense conservation solutions that strengthen economies and support local communities that depend on healthy oceans.”
