Policies
Here are some of our key policy statements and positions related to seafood sustainability and Fish for Life.
farming is a good thing
Why we believe fish farming is a good thing
We believe that aquaculture – or fish farming – is fundamentally important to the future security of fish supply and also plays a major economic role in many developing countries. We are well aware of the issues associated with the industry, but there is still a strong case to support the future of responsibly managed fish farming – particularly as a key way of meeting the future food needs of a growing world population.
Fish farming is not a new phenomenon – it has been practised in many societies for thousands of years. More recently it has been consistently the world’s fastest expanding food production industry and global economic and population pressures will ensure this trend continues.
As a business with specialist expertise in seafood, we are well acquainted with the many social, environmental and economic challenges experienced by aquaculture during the past two decades. As with any industry undergoing rapid growth, there has been much learning along the way.
However improvement has been rapid and - through rigorous application of responsible production standards, supply chain management and scientific improvement – the industry is starting to overcome its challenges. There is now a strong core of responsible operators around the globe who are playing a positive role in driving industry-wide improvement.
Our business will only buy farmed fish from quality producers who operate in a sustainable and ethical way. We have stringent codes of practice for our suppliers (bespoke to different species) and we apply these rigorously. This is in line with our ‘Fish for Life’ approach to responsible seafood, and the application of our ‘Ten Principles for Responsible Fish Procurement’ – which apply equally to aquaculture as to wild caught fish. Both are detailed on our websites.
We fully support and endorse the introduction of new international standards1 to ensure responsible management standards for different sectors of the industry. We are also active in the current FAO2 project to develop an international benchmark for quality aquaculture production.
Our business also believes there to be a strong ‘fair trade’ argument to support fish farming, which is a key industry for many developing economies. It can also be a faster and more efficient means of food production than growing land-based animals. But - above all - fish is a healthy and nutritious source of protein and should be freely available to all. Given the limited availability of wild seafood, we have to farm fish if it is not to become a food beyond the reach of all but the very rich.
Therefore we will actively endorse any initiatives which help to improve the environmental, economic, ethical and social status of the fish farming industry, as a means of ensuring that fish is readily available to everyone - for the long term.
1 Current recognised standards include those set by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (http://www.gaalliance.org/), Aquaculture Certification Council (http://www.aquaculturecertification.org/) and Globalgap (http://www.globalgap.org)
2 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16001)
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