One of Australia’s leading canned tuna brands has vowed to no longer use fish aggregation devices (FADs) with its purse-seine vessels to catch tuna by 2015.?
Greenseas on Thursday announced on its website that it will discontinue the practice because fishing for skipjack with FADs usually results in higher rates of yellowfin and bigeye tuna bycatch. “Reducing the use of FADs by purse-seine vessels is a good way to ensure we can maintain healthy stocks of yellowfin and bigeye tuna,” said the company, which is owned by Heinz Australia.
Greenseas is the first major canned tuna brand in Australia to commit to go FAD-free, according to the company.
?Its decison comes about two months after Greenpeace-Australia updated its list ranking eight canned-tuna brands in Australia according to whether the fish is harvested in a sustainable, environmentally friendly manner. Greenseas came in at No. 5.
The environmental activist organization is still pressing Australia’s canned tuna brands. On Thursday it released report titled “What a waste: the hidden cost of canned tuna” on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, coinciding with Greenseas’ announcement. The report blasts Australia’s canned tuna brands for continuing to source tuna harvested using FADs.
