October 29, 2007

Sustainable seafood to be sold in Italy
 

The first full range of Friend of the Sea sustainable seafood products is now on the shelves of all main retail chains in Italy.

Friend of the Sea is an international organisation that certifies products from sustainable fishing.

The As do Mar brand, which includes tuna, mackerel and sardines, recently launched its Friend of the Sea certified products range.

Fisheries for pelagic species, such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel and some tuna, are generally lower impact than fisheries for demersal species, such as cod, hake, hoki and ground fish Dr Paolo Bray, Director of Friend of the Sea said.

Pelagic species are more resilient and the fishing methods, using pole and line, are more selective and do not impact the seabed.

Management measures such as protected spawning areas, limited number of fishing days and yearly quotas for fishermen, together with a low impact fishing method, have maintained the stocks of these fisheries, he said.

Salmon from British Columbia in Canada was recently Friend-of-the-sea certified based on official scientific data.

Friend of the sea fishing methods require less than an 8 percent discard rate and no impact on seabed. Other restrictions are also imposed on gear, timing and area of the catch.