Sapmer purse seine vessels go FoS
French deep-sea fishing company Sapmer has gained Friend of the Sea certification for its purse seine fleets.
Yellowfin, skipjack and bigeye tuna from the fishing group’s vessels operating in the Indian Ocean (FAO Area 51 and 57) are now authorised to carry the Friend of the Sea ecolabel.
Sapmer, based on the island of Reunion, successfully completed assessment against the FoS standard for sustainable and well managed fisheries both on its freezer purse seiners as well as at Mer des Mascareignes, its processing factory in Mauritius.
The targeted tuna are considered to be not overexploited in this fishing area according to the latest stock assessments and no protected areas are affected by the fishing activity. FoS says that none of the by-caught species are included in the IUCN Redlist of endangered species.
Sapmer has a responsible fishing policy aimed at minimising the impact on immature fish and other associated species. A waste management system is in place and measures are implemented to avoid waste to be dispersed.
Sapmer has a traceability system in place to demonstrate the sustainable origin of all products.