From concept
to counter top
The challenge of sustainable fishing
* Highest quality tuna exported from Sri Lanka
* Changing fishing
techniques necessary
By Nizla Naizer
The world is going through several interesting phenomena and while the fishermen of Sri Lanka may not have heard of the words ‘sustainability’ and ‘eco-labelling’ the changing times have brought them to our doorstep.
For years, Sri Lanka has been exporting tuna primarily to the West and with sustainability and health consciousness the new mantras in the hearts and minds of the western consumer, our fishermen will soon be made to see the benefit of ensuring that in the future, their fishing techniques are ‘sustainable.’
“Three years ago, sustainability was only a concept discussed in fishing conferences,” Holland based SeaFresh Commercial Director Jan Ras explained, “But now our consumers actually want their fish to come from sustainable sources. They want to ensure that their future generations will be able to consume the same fish that they do.” Jan along with his local partners in the Sri Lanka based NorthWest Fishery (PVT) Ltd, supply over 15 tons of Sri Lankan tuna each week to some of the biggest marine food buyers in Europe including the mammoth Marine Harvest Ltd. “Our buyers are now keen to ensure that the tuna they purchase from Sri Lanka comes from fishermen who practice sustainable fishing techniques.”
Speaking to the european buyers however, they’re mission is to satisfy the need of the end consumer. “Implementing high standards of sustainable fishing in Sri Lanka is important because the customers in Europe now want the ‘sustainable’ tag on their food,” Marine Harvest Sea Food Director, Jan de Vierghere informed. With this in mind, de Vierghere was in Sri Lanka on a mission to find out the techniques used by the fishermen in Sri Lanka to catch their tuna harvests. “We want the officials in Sri Lanka to promote more sustainable methods of fishing here.” With this objective, the foreign delegation met officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and NARA (National Aquatic Resources Agency) and was satisfied with the developments.
Criteria for sustainable fisheries as set out by ‘Friend of the Sea’
The fishery targets a stock which is not considered to be over- exploited according to the most updated stock status report from FAO, Regional Fishery Bodies or National Marine Authorities;
The fishing method does not by catch species listed in the IUCN Redlist;
The fishing method does not discard more than 8% in weight of the total catch;
The fishing method does not impact the seabed;
The fishery complies with regulations (TAC, no IUU nor FOC, mesh size, minimum size, MAPs, etcSustainable fishing
The world is going through a wake up call. The need for sustainable fishing came with the awareness that if the world continues to fish at the current rate, there won’t be any fish remaining for our future generations 100 years from now. “If it was up to NGOs like Greenpeace, there won’t be any fishing boats in the sea,” Jan Ras explained, “But that is impossible, we come from fishing communities where fishing is their livelihood and their survival. So we compromise, let us fish in a way that our future generations will also be able to enjoy the same pleasure from consuming fish.”
“The whole industry is feeling that ‘sustainable’ vibe and we act as a mediator in between the NGOs and the retailers,” de Vierghere stated, “We as the buyer have a voice and that is why we are here. They want sustainably fished tuna and we want to ensure that the Sri Lankan fishermen can deliver it.” The conditions for sustainable fishing has been set on a global scale by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) based in England and by the NGO ‘Friend of the Sea’ based in Italy which are the global leaders for eco-labelling and certifying sustainable fishing products. “We will be following the guidelines set by ‘Friend of the Sea’ for our tuna suppliers in Sri Lanka,” he informed.
According to ‘Friends of the Sea,’ more than 75% of the global fish stocks are either over fished or exploited to the maximum. These stocks will continue to decrease until they’re entirely wiped out unless something is done. Some fishing techniques pose threats to habitats which are the breeding grounds for aquatic resources. These habitats are the feeding ground for fish which then become food for larger fish. The nets dragging over the sea bed can destroy their habitat and eventually affect commercial fisheries as well.
Also the threat to other species is ever present with current fishing methods, as these methods are never 100% selective and will catch not only the target species but many other species in the area. Endangered species of turtles, sea birds and sharks which have very slow breeding rates are made more vulnerable even with low levels of bycatch.
“Through the Fisheries Institute in Belgium we already know that Sri Lanka is a country which manages their fishing well, in comparison to other countries in the world,” de Vierghere stated. “The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) which monitors tuna harvests in the Indian Ocean and the data obtained from NARA has shown us that Sri Lankan fishermen have already incorporated sustainable practices in their fishing.” According to the tuna expert, Sri Lankan fishermen use long line fishing techniques which are the most sustainable way to catch tuna while ministry had also explained that they have promoted different types of hooks and methods to protect the sea birds from falling victim to the line and decrease the levels of bycatch.
“However, there are modifications and new techniques that can be implemented and promoted to improve sustainability and target the eco-label so it appeals to the European customer more,” he informed, “And we are working with our suppliers to prove to the fishermen that it will be in their benefit to implement these techniques so the demand for their produce increases.”
Sri Lankan tuna
Sri Lankan tuna is a deep sea catch and is regarded as the best quality tuna in the world, according to de Vierghere. “There is a large demand for Sri Lankan tuna in all parts of Europe and North America.” Though 90% of the tuna is generally canned, the buyers from Europe purchase it as vacuum packed loins and enter it into the market in a value added form in Europe. “We market Sri Lankan tuna as fresh loins, sashimi or as carpaccio.” Carpaccio is an Italian dish of thinly sliced meat, but with the phenomenon of health conscious individuals, the Europeans have converted it into fish and there is a growing demand.
Sri Lankan tuna as processed Carpaccio or Sashimi in West European supermarket shelves |
“There are two varieties of tuna available for export, Big Eye (Thunnus obesus) and Yellow Fin (Thunnus albacares),” NorthWest Fishery Director Rizvi Mowlana explained. “However, we focus mainly on Yellow Fin because the European markets prefer the fresh taste of this variety of tuna.” NorthWest Fishery which has their EU approved processing plant in the Dankotuwa Industrial Estate ensures that the freshly packed Sri Lankan tuna ends up in the supermarket shelves of Europe.
The tuna in Sri Lanka undergo stringent quality checks before it is exported to Europe. “The primary check when it comes to tuna is the levels histamine in the fish,” NorthWest Fishery Director Shafraz Mowlana explained. “However from the start, there are stringent quality checks we carry out.” The fish which are transported to the processing plant in trucks are checked for their storage condition which has to be in a temperature between 0-1°C. The tuna is then colour graded to check if it’s up to export standards, histamine levels checked, body condition, strength of the flesh tested and then sent for processing.
The processed tuna is subjected to a random check before the loins are packed in a protein vacuum pack stored in temperatures between 0-4°C and kept in a special gel ice.
From a humble fisherman hauling his catch in the deep seas off the island, to the health conscious fish eating consumer in the High Streets of Europe, the yellow finned tuna of Sri Lanka has been taking a long journey for many years, but to ensure that this journey continues the implementation of sustainable methods has become vital.
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