The Findus Group is weighing in on a new study claiming that fishing fleets work 17 times harder today than they did in the 1880s to catch the same amount of fish.
The study was spearheaded by the University of York and Marine Conservation Society and published in the 4 May edition in the journal Nature Communication.
“We welcome these latest research findings as a valuable lesson in understanding just how abundant the oceans can be and how important is their contribution to feeding a growing world population,” said Ian Hagg, head of corporate social responsibility at the Findus Group, parent company of Young’s Seafood.
“We are proud of the work our business has done in leading a culture of change and improvement in the seafood industry and welcome recent advances in introducing more precautionary management systems in the UK, EU and other major fisheries around the world,” he added.
Last week, Findus Group pledged to buy only seafood from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries by 2012 as part of its Fish for Life sustainable seafood program.
“For those concerned about the status of the world’s fisheries, we offer the reassurance of products such as our Young’s brand, the fish for which is sourced responsibly under the rigorous criteria of our Fish for Life program,” said Hagg.
However, the study drew criticism from Seafish, which said it offered nothing new.
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