Policies

Here are some of our key policy statements and positions related to seafood sustainability and Fish for Life.

Fish for Life: Sustainable Fisheries

Since Young’s has been supplying fish and seafood for over 200 years, it is clearly both our duty and our interest to actively support the sustainable management of fisheries and marine environments around the world. We believe that sustainable practice is the only way to safeguard the future of fish – both now and for future generations.

Our commitment

We intend that every purchasing decision is made only with a clear understanding of the capacity of the environment to support the fishing or fish farming effort involved. We also know that it is vital that our policies translate into actions, and our deeds match our words. These are the fundamental principles behind our sustainability policy, which we call Fish for Life.

Fish for Life is our own policy and governs all the species we buy, whether wild-caught or farmed. Within this, we are also aligned to the objectives of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which relate to wild caught fish. We have been a key supporter of the MSC since 1997.

As Young’s is a major purchaser of seafood from most of the world’s principal fisheries, we will continue (though our international network of suppliers) to initiate, support and stimulate any projects, policies and actions that contribute towards long term sustainability, whenever this can be achieved.

We subscribe to the following definition of a sustainable fishery:

A well-managed and sustainable fishery or aquaculture operation protects the natural aquatic environment and the species which live in it, whilst allowing the responsible capture or production of fish for food. When a fishery is sustainable, it means that target fish populations are at healthy levels, sometimes having recovered from being depleted in the past. Both wild fisheries and aquaculture also require proper protection of the natural environment and of non-target species, such as sea-birds, coral and marine mammals. A well-managed fishery will ensure a long-term future not just for the fishery and its environment, but also for the related fishing industry and all those who depend upon it for their livelihoods.

The Fish for Life approach is founded on Ten Principles for Responsible Fish Procurement – the rules which govern our sourcing decisions. It also encompasses other individual policies dealing with a number of highly specific fisheries and aquaculture issues.

We will continuously strive to ensure that our Fish for Life and our Ten Principles are effectively employed in our business plan and that we have measures and indicators in place to qualify our aims and to promote these values throughout our entire supply chain, from boat to plate.