The fishing activities of Italian fishing company Asaro have been demonstrated to be sustainable as it is awarded Friend of the Sea certification for its fisheries in the Mediterranean and off West Africa.
Asaro Matteo Cosimo Vincenzo srl was founded in 1946 by Gaspare Asaro in Mazara del Vallo, South-West Sicily. The introduction of frozen technology in 1960 made it possible for the company to expand its activities beyond the Mediterranean to waters off West Africa.
“We should always thank our fathers, Matteo and Enzo Asaro, who made it possible for this company to become a leader in the Italian market,” said Gaspare Asaro.
“What the fishing industry needs nowadays is to increase its approach to protect the marine environment. For this reason, we have chosen to join the Friend of the Sea project. In order to reach long-term sustainability, the first step must come from us. One of the first actions we took consists in reducing the catch of those fish that are more vulnerable.”
Today it operates two vessels in the Mediterranean fishing in FAO areas 37.20/21/23/26/24/25 for giant red shrimp, which is not an overfished species, according to the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean's latest study (GFCM, 2016).
The audit for these two vessels took place in port at Mazara del Vallo.
Two vessels operating off west Africa in FAO areas 34.3.1 were audited in the Port of Dakar for fisheries including common octopus, catfish, common cuttlefish, southern pink shrimp, deep water rose shrimp, bobo croaker, sole and red pandora.
A third-party auditor has assessed the compliance of the company’s fishing activities with Friend of the Sea's sustainability requirements. The assessment confirmed that all species are frozen and packed on board according to a unique management system. Traceability and labelling systems are in place to ensure that certified wild caught fish is not stocked or mingled with other species.
While labour conditions have been found to be respected, Friend of the Sea recommends the company implement a system of carbon footprint monitoring while assessing the overall impact of its activities on the marine environment. Moreover, they are committed to installing CCTV cameras on board in time for the next fishing campaign.
“We consider the affiliation of an historic ship owner such as Asaro an important demonstration of the fact that the fishing industry is changing for good throughout the years and generations of fishermen in Italy and abroad,” said Paolo Bray, director and founder of Friend of the Sea.
“Moreover, I’m confident that by awarding an important player operating in the West Africa region, other companies will follow the path.”
