Hai Trieu Food is one of Vietnam’s top seafood producers exporting yellowfin tuna and dried seafood products worldwide.
Friend of the Sea, the global certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, is pleased to announce the certification of Hai Trieu Food for sustainable fishing practices. Consequently, the company can display the Friend of the Sea eco-label on its products, highlighting its efforts to protect and preserve the environment.
Hai Trieu Food was established in 2006 in Vietnam and, after 13 years in business, has become one of the leading seafood companies in the country. With a seven vessels fleet, Hai Trieu Food specializes in processing and exporting wild-caught yellowfin tuna products with high-quality international standards.
Yellowfin tuna is one of Vietnam’s most important exports, surpassing a total annual value of more than 300 million dollars. However, as the national tuna industry grows, so does the need to protect the country’s magnificent marine biodiversity from the impact of unsustainable fishing practices.
Hai Trieu Food demonstrates its deep-rooted commitment to sustainable wild catch practices by applying to the Friend of the Sea international certification scheme. Friend of the Sea fisheries & fleets program aims to promote sustainable management that reduces the impact on the ecosystem and avoids over-exploitation of the resources.
Friend of the Sea criteria for sustainable fisheries includes: respecting fishing stock limits as determined by the FAO, as well as by regional and national fishery authorities; minimizing the impact on the seabed; using selective fishing gear and non-entangling FADs; preventing the bycatch of endangered species; refraining from shark finning; and ensuring appropriate waste and energy management.
Throughout the certification process, Hai Trieu Food demonstrated compliance with Friend of the Sea’s requirements. The company’s fishing methods – handline and pole-and-line – help minimize bycatch, discard, and impact on the seabed. In addition, fishermen use fresh purpleback flying squid to attract ocean tunas, thus reducing accidental catches, and the hook size helps control juvenile catch.
Hai Trieu Food, which also obtained the Friend of the Sea Traceability certification, does not incur in fishing activity in protected marine areas.
“From its creation, Hai Trieu Food has relentlessly worked to establish a sustainable fishing model that raises to high-quality international standards. For us, it’s crucial to preserve the environment while meeting export market standards and customers’ requirements. Obtaining the Friend of the Sea certification is an important step towards these goals,” said a company’s spokesperson.
“As the global tuna market continues to grow, fisheries have an enormous responsibility. They are key players in the efforts to protect and preserve the ocean and its resources. We welcome the certification of Hai Trieu Food as another step forward to achieve a more sustainable fishing industry,” said Paolo Bray, Founder, and Director at Friend of the Sea.
“Tuna is an important export-oriented seafood commodity of Vietnam & the top three markets for Vietnamese tuna are the US, Italy, and Israel. The trend of consuming sustainable seafood is rising and growing faster, particularly since the onset of Covid-19. Hai Trieu Company Ltd from Vietnam has successfully achieved Friend of the Sea sustainable certification, and we welcome them on board with us in promoting sustainable seafood,” said Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, International Advisory Board Member at Friend of the Sea.
Sustainable seafood includes products that are caught or farmed using methods respectful of the long-term viability of the species, the integrity and health of the oceans, and the dependent communities’ livelihood. Certified products and services that carry the Friend of the Sea logo are subject to strict independent audits verifying environmental and social standards.
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