Del Pacifico Seafoods, the only fair trade certified wild-caught Mexican shrimp product available on the market, has been awarded the Friend of the Sea certification in recognition of the company’s sustainable fishing methods that respect and protects the marine environment.
Del Pacifico’s wild-caught shrimp are fished from small boats known as Pangas powered only by the wind and the tide. This artisanal fishing technique, along with a selective net, results in the lowest by-catch and fuel consumption per pound of any shrimp fishery.
With their limited range and storage, Pangas must off-load within hours of a catch. Del Pacifico’s shrimp specialists pick up the catch every day and take it to their modern processing facility, where the shrimp are processed, flash-frozen and shipped within just a few hours of being caught. There are no chemicals used, and the shrimp is only frozen once.
“All of our fishermen are trained under the Friend of the Sea fishery standard that demands full traceability and keeping records of the very low by-catch that our vessels have,” said Del Pacifico CEO Ruben Castro Dario.
“We also undergo an annual third-party audit to maintain the Friend of the Sea certification”.
Del Pacifico’s wild-caught shrimp is completely traceable. Each boat is equipped with a solar-powered tracker which monitors the boat’s movements via satellite. Consumers can go to the company’s website and enter in the lot number on their package to learn when and where their shrimp was caught.
In 2016, Del Pacifico Seafood became the first shrimp company in the world to receive Fair Trade Certification after meeting all requirements relating to labour, trade and responsible environmental practices. A percentage of the company’s sales goes back to the fishing communities to implement social and environmental programs.
“When you buy Del Pacifico, you’re not only getting one of the highest-quality shrimp on the market, you are also supporting the fishers, their families, their community, and the water,” said Paolo Bray, Founder, and Director at Friend of the Sea.
