To meet its goal of minimizing bycatch associated with tuna harvesting, Sealord has announced its canned tuna products will soon be FAD-free.
Since becoming New Zealand’s first signatory of WWF’s Western Central Pacific Tuna Conservation Pledge in January this year, the company has been assessing the various options to ensure that Sealord tuna has the lowest possible bycatch.
"We have worked through Sealord’s tuna sustainability goals with our suppliers and we now believe the quickest way to ensure bycatch is below our initial target of less than 1%, is to source tuna caught without FADs," said General Manager New Zealand Stu Yorston.
New supplies of Sealord Yellowfin Tuna will be FAD-free from July this year and the rest of the range will be FAD-free by early 2014.
"We will continue to research ways of further reducing by-catch below our initial target as well as working with the most responsible players in the industry to ensure that there is accurate catch specific data about bycatch, so that we can continue to buy Sealord tuna from the best performing fisheries."
FADs (fish aggregating devices) are used extensively by tuna fishermen. The method has bycatch levels in the Western Pacific of around 1.7% of catch, which is low compared to other methods such as pole and line and long-lining for other fish species, but higher than the average rate for tuna caught without this equipment.
