Friend of the Sea Recertifies BigFish Maldives for Sustainable Seafood Production

Leading tuna producer recommits to practices that protect the marine environment

Friend of the Sea, the preeminent certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, announced today that it has renewed its certification of Big Fish Maldives for Yellow Fin Tuna (Thunnus albacores) and Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis). BigFish has recommitted to sustainable fishing and production processes. The company can now display the Friend of the Sea logo on its products. BigFish has been certified by Friend of the Sea continuously since 2013.

“BigFish Maldives has integrated sustainable practices deeply into its busines model,” said Paolo Bray, Director of Friend of the Sea. “They only catch fish by handline and pole, for example. This alone makes a big difference in terms of bi-catch and other potential environmental damage from the fishing process. They have also endeavored to lower their carbon footprint substantially at the same time. We are very pleased to be working with them.”

Offering what is arguably the world’s most sustainable tuna, BigFish Maldives operateson the basis of its fishermen only spending a few days at sea per trip. As a result, the end product is unusually fresh. The Maldives islands, which are located southwest of India in the Indian Ocean, comprise one of the richest tuna fisheries in the world. Indeed, tuna directly sustains over 30% of the Maldives’ population. BigFish ensures that all of its fishermen receive an equal share of the profits from each trip. As Green Peace has noted, “Tuna caught in Maldives is one of the most sustainable, fair and transparent seafood products available today.”