Seafish Welcomes International Sustainability Unit

Seafish Chief Executive, Paul Williams, explains: "Seafish absolutely supports the aims and objectives outlined by the ISU. We are committed to supporting a sustainable future for the seafood industry in the UK and will continue to work closely with industry to help ensure that the aspirations for a well-managed, profitable and sustainable outlook are realised."

The ISU presented its vision for the future of marine fisheries, based on three central pillars; smart economics, ecosystem-based approach and robust management. HRH The Prince of Wales emphasised the importance of good data and strong relationships between science and fishing communities in achieving the aspirations of the ISU.

Phil MacMullen, Head of Environment at Seafish continued: "Seafish committed itself to ecosystem-based fisheries management over 15 years ago when its Board endorsed a policy statement on environmental issues. Since that time we have supported our fishermen and the whole supply chain to establish and improve production standards. The marine environment is very robust but we have to understand that fisheries can have a disproportionate impact if they are not well managed. The UK Administrations are widely respected for their effective management regimes but our work, our Responsible Fishing Scheme, and our support for best practices in fishing, have helped the UK seafood industry to become a real leader in respecting the ecosystem that supports us."

Seafish already works with the industry on a range of initiatives designed to build a strong working relationship between science and good fisheries management.

Jon Harman, Operations Director at Seafish explains: "Seafish continues to explore mechanisms for the capture of data by fishermen, ensuring its accuracy, status and responsible application. It currently has a ground-breaking trial in conjunction with the industry and government on low cost vessel monitoring systems and data. Fishermen have access to a wealth of valuable data that can play a vital role in safe-guarding a sustainable and well-managed future for the industry. Seafish is currently working on initiatives to support the industry in placing their data and information at the heart of these discussions."