South Africa, November 2012
Tuna Boat Owners fishing in the Waters of the PNA Countries
Western and Central Pacific Ocean Parties of the Nauru Agreement
To whom it may concern,
Through this letter we as Pick n Pay would like to publicly express our strong interest in buying MSC certified skipjack tuna for our South African customers.
Pick n Pay has committed itself to work towards developing a sustainable supply of wild seafood products certified by MSC or categorized as “green” by World Wild Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI). One of major seafood items sold by our stores is canned skipjack tuna which we wish to see it being supplied from a sustainable source.
Besides a strong commitment to sustainability, Pick n Pay purchasing policy also aims to buy product which supports and give a contribution to the development and wellbeing of local communities, economies and cultures through fairtrade and social accountable practices.
For this reason we have been closely and enthusiastically following the development of the MSC certification for the skipjack free school fishery in the Western and Central Pacific in the pristine waters of the 8 island nations that are united within the PNA. This resulted on a mutual cooperation with the marketing company of the PNA countries, Pacifical cv, on the supply of this sustainable MSC canned tuna under the Pacifical co-brand.
Thus we warmly welcomed the news in January 2012 that the MSC certification was granted and we were hopeful to be able to supply MSC skipjack tuna to our customers by the summer of 2012.
However to our great disappointment we have learned that since the beginning of 2012 companies fishing in the PNA waters have not completed any successful trail trips for the MSC, and that generally motivation throughout the fishing industry operating in the PNA to start fishing sustainable and according to the principles of the MSC has been minimal. We also learned that unsustainable catches by the use of FADs still continue at the same rate.
Knowing that fishing sustainable requires a change of practices and procedures, Pick n Pay has shown the willingness to motivate and compensate tuna fisherman for these changes by paying a premium price for MSC canned tuna caught and processed within the PNA countries.
Through this letter we wish to urgently call on companies fishing and processing in the PNA countries to show their responsibility towards the eco-system that they are fishing in, and start with the catch and production of tuna according to the MSC principles as soon as possible. This will not only contribute to the pacifical eco-system but also will provide more jobs for people within the PNA countries.
We have an urgent need for the supply of this sustainable tuna, and are most interested to buy this product as soon as the first catches will become available, so that in partnership with Pacifical cv we can supply this healthy wild seafood product to our customers as soon as possible. Retailers around the world have answered the call for seafood sustainability; Pick n Pay feels the right of demanding fishers to also meet these commitments.
We look forward to receive positive news from any company fishing or processing in the PNA countries that wish to engage sustainable MSC tuna fishing!
Kindest Regards,
Bronwen Rohland
Director of Marketing and Sustainability Pick n Pay
About Pick N Pay: The Pick n Pay Group is one of Africa’s largest and most consistently successful retailers. The Pick n Pay Group has a total of 775 stores, made up of Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Family Stores. Pick n Pay employs over 42.000 people, and generates an annual turnover of USD 6.4 billion. Pick n Pay has been recognized by the World Wildlife Fund-South Africa (WWFOSA) for its commitment to transforming its entire fresh, frozen and canned seafood operations by the end of 2015 in a bid to address concerns about the exploitation of global seafood resources.
About the PNA countries: The 8 PNA (Parties of the Nauru Agreement) countries are Federate States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. The Nauru agreement concerning cooperation in the management of the fisheries between these countries was signed on 11 February 1982. These countries together supply 50% of the world skipjack tuna from their waters, tuna which is processed in a socially responsible way in the region. The PNA were certified by the Marine Stewardship Council in December 13th 2011 for its sustainably managed free school skipjack purse seine fishery.
About Pacifical C.V: Pacifical is the global marketing company jointly set up by the PNA countries in 2011 to actively trade their MSC certified skipjack. To provide the best possible communication with buyers, and to be geographically close to our target markets, the marketing office of Pacifical is based in the Netherlands. Pacifical MSC skipjack products include: frozen whole round, frozen precooked loins, canned tuna, pouched tuna, tuna meal and tuna oil.
