Princes Customer care have replied to my email on their fishing practices.

The Greenpeace response to this can be read in my erlier posting.

Thank you for contacting us recently and voicing your concern. Princes has a serious and genuine commitment to improving sustainability within the tuna fishing industry and your feedback on this important issue is welcome.

We would like to provide you with a response to your email and additional information about our latest activity and progress in relation to sustainability. This progress is being made alongside our high standards relating to food safety, traceability and quality.

Although Princes does not own or operate any fishing boats, we acknowledge that all fishing methods result in some level of by-catch and we therefore support the need to develop and implement ways of mitigating the impact of commercial fishing on non-target species.

Our view, which is shared by a large section of the scientific community, other environmental non-governmental organisations and the majority of the international canned tuna industry, is that a joined-up approach is required to bring about long-term improved sustainability across all global tuna catch areas.

Consistent with this view, Princes is a co-founder of The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), and we fully support the conservation initiatives of this organisation as part of our long-term commitment to improving industry best practice.

The ISSF is a global partnership among leaders in science, the tuna industry and WWF, the world’s leading conservation organisation. The ISSF undertakes science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing by-catch and promoting ecosystem health. These initiatives currently include a globally coordinated at-sea research project to identify best practices, new techniques and enhanced technologies that will allow fleets to minimise the amount of non-targeted fish and other marine life captured as a result of fishing for tuna. This research is being shared with crew members through workshops hosted in communities around the world.  Long-line, gill and drift net fishing methods are not permitted in our specifications and we will not trade with companies or vessels that have not banned the practise known as shark finning. Princes recognises concerns over fish aggregation devices (FADs) and supports the need to minimise the by-catch associated with their use. We also support measures which seek to reduce operational waste, discards, and abandoned or lost fishing gear.

As you will know, Greenpeace is currently campaigning to encourage UK tuna retailers and brands to source tuna caught using the pole and line fishing method. Although Princes does source some tuna caught using pole and line, this method also results in some level of by-catch of non target species. There is also the consideration that this method requires the use of bait fish. These bait fish are caught close to shore and used at sea to attract tuna shoals to fishing boats. Studies suggest that 1kg of bait fish (which could be considered a form of by-catch) is required to catch 10kg’s of tuna. The ISSF’s science committee is currently researching the ability of bait fisheries to supply pole and line tuna fisheries and the fuel consumption of all vessel gear types used to fish for tuna.

On this point, Greenpeace has acknowledged to us in writing that that the expansion of pole and line fishing for tuna could have negative consequences for marine sustainability and stated that “pole can only ever account for a fraction of the global market and that if pushed too far, pole and line could itself become unsustainable.”

In addition to the points already mentioned, Princes has also taken a number of other key actions and commitments on seafood sustainability, including:

a.) Supporting the principle of using scientifically-based protective closed ocean areas, including no-take marine reserves, to accomplish clear conservation objectives for fish populations and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
b.) The development of new supply partnerships with pole and line and purse seine fisheries that do not use fish aggregation devices (FADs).
c.) A recent commitment to declare species on Princes-brand tuna labels – the new labels will be introduced during 2011.
d.) Through our own tuna processing facility in Mauritius, Princes has financially supported a feasibility study for the realisation of a marine protected area (MPA) in the lagoon along the South West coast of Mauritius. Turning the lagoon into an MPA requires encouraging fishermen to go fishing outside the lagoon. The feasibility study is being conducted by the MMCS (Mauritius Marine Conservation Society) and will be completed by the end of January or early February. Our manufacturing facility in Mauritius has also supported the building and equipping of a new type of fishing craft, suitable for artisanal fisheries outside the lagoon.

Finally, our updated Wild Caught Seafood Sustainability Statement, which details these and other commitments, is available to download from our website at:

http://www.princes.co.uk/downloads/Princes_Wild_Caught_Sustainable_Seafood_Statement_175220.pdf

I hope that this is a useful update in response to your enquiry.
Yours sincerely,

Customer Care Teamr