The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its strategic plan for 2023-2027 outlining its approach to achieving sustainability in tuna fishing over the next five years.
The ISSF said that ‘science, verification and influence’ remain at the core of its mission, as does adherence to the Marine Stewardship Council’s Fisheries Standard, which has been recently updated.
“We developed ‘Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability’ as an evolution of our prior strategic plan,” explained ISSF president, Susan Jackson.
“The recent release of the new MSC Fisheries Standard 3.0 to meet changing expectations and reflect the latest in sustainability science reminds us that the bar is always rising — so too must our level of responsibility and commitment,” she added.
The new plan outlines ISSF’s ‘Theory of Change’ for the first time. It details that sustainability will be achieved by:
- Advancing tuna fisheries science
- Implementing industry improvements
- Providing scientific guidance and tools
- Working with regional fisheries management organisations
- Partnering with supportive organisations and experts
The plan also establishes a new goal that all tuna fisheries supplying ISSF-participating companies will have MSC certification by 2027 or that there is a clear roadmap in place to achieve this.
ISSF is also focusing on advancing science-based approaches to address the industry’s impact on the ecosystem together with an increased emphasis on ensuring vessel operations and markets are transparent.
Lastly the organisation is creating a new Advisory Committee on Working Conditions for Fishing Vessels to help develop global labour standards.
