Category: Innovation Anova Food’s Fishing & Living Initiative
Anova Food, LLC launched its Fishing & Living (F&L) Initiative in 2010. Its first effort was to implement FIPs and begin the process of working toward MSC certification of Indonesian handline yellowfin tuna and improved fishing practices in longline fisheries. However, Anova’s team felt that truly sustainable fisheries address not only the environmental aspects of the fishery, but also the local community development and the wellbeing of the fishers. Their innovative approaches included teaching sustainable fishing concepts to local university students, placing them in permanently staffed Fishermen Centers in small villages and implementing social programs, beach cleanups, safety-at-sea guidebooks, conservation awareness, alternative livelihood programs, and a pilot project for implementing Fair Trade standards for capture fisheries. They have also engaged in efforts beyond the water’s edge with donations to local schools and orphanages such as books, sporting equipment, water filtration systems and English classes. By taking on this role, F&L became a leader in mobilizing and engaging a range of stakeholders: from fishers and local suppliers to universities, government and NGOs. F&L has distinguished itself from other seafood sustainability initiatives through its conviction that fisheries improvements go hand in hand with community development.
