FishWise Partners First to Sign Tuna Sustainability Letter

Albertsons Companies, Target, and Hy-Vee were the first US retailers to sign the global appeal tuna sustainability letter this year

As in 2018, the NGO Tuna Forum – of which FishWise is a member – is coordinating global market partners, tuna suppliers, and NGOs to sign the Global Appeal Tuna Sustainability letter to be sent to all four tuna management bodies (known as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations or RFMOs) in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. The letter requests RFMOs to step up their game in key areas, such as harvest control rules, at-sea transshipment, observer coverage, to improve tuna management and conservation measures. The 2019 NGO Tuna Forum Global Sustainability Appeal has been sent to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in June and the IATTC (Link) in July. Since FishWise’s partners signed the letter early in the year, the signatures will reach all four RFMOs. This global tuna RFMO letter effort began last year and gained 143 signatories.

The 2019 NGO Tuna Forum Global Sustainability Appeal has been accepted by the IATTC (Link).