Sustainability
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
EMBRACING SUSTAINABILITY AS A WAY OF BUSINESS
Sea Harvest embraces sustainable business practices throughout its operations not only to meet the expectations of its diverse stakeholders, but because it is the right thing to do. We take pride in working collectively with our employees, partners, and other interest groups to continually improve the way we do business and reflect on how best we can preserve our natural resources for the company’s long-term sustainability and the prosperity of current and future generations. To the Sea Harvest family, environmental protection is key.
SEA HARVEST IS PROUD TO SUPPORT AN ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO FISHERIES IN OUR WILD-CAPTURE OPERATIONS.
SUSTAINABLE FISH STOCKS
SEA HARVEST IS PROUD TO SUPPORT AN ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO FISHERIES IN OUR WILD-CAPTURE OPERATIONS. WE HOLD OURSELVES TO A HIGH STANDARD OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
Fishing is in our DNA. We pledge to safeguard the ecosystem in which we fish so that future generations can continue to benefit from the ocean. Our approach to wild capture fishing is to study and protect our finely balanced and highly complex marine ecosystems. We aim to significantly reduce the loss of biodiversity, to restore fisheries to their maximum sustainable yields, and to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Our South African offshore hake fishery is the first hake fishery in the world to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – the global gold standard for ocean sustainability practices (www.msc.org). This certification has been retained for over 20 years, which is an indication of the industry’s commitment to operating sustainably. MSC certification follows a rigorous assessment process during which an independent certification agency scrutinises every aspect of the fishery’s management and ensures that it complies with the MSC’s main principles. These principles are:
– A fishery must be conducted in such a way that it does not lead to overfishing or a decrease in the stock harvested;
– Fishing operations must not impact the health of the marine ecosystem; and
– Fishing must be managed and regulated in a responsible way.
Our Australian Shark Bay prawns (Melicertus latisulcatus) proudly carry the blue MSC logo.
PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROSPERITY
Sea Harvest Corporation, the Group’s South African-based subsidiary, is a founding member of the Groundfish Forum, the world’s leading whitefish industry forum. Alongside WWF-SA, BirdLife South Africa, and other fishing industry players, it is a co-founder and member of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA) which promotes an ecosystem approach to fishing (EAF).
Successes achieved through the RFA in recent years include a 90% reduction in seabird mortalities as a result of the introduction of bird scaring devices; improved management of bycatch; improved fisheries management; and skills development for fishers.
Other threats to the marine environment have also been addressed, such as the call for a moratorium on marine phosphate mining in South Africa, which was an initiative undertaken in partnership with the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition, led by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER).
