Galician cannery FRINSA, whose main factory is located in Ribeira (Province of La Coruña), has become the first Spanish company within the sector to join forces with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), a non-governmental organisation specialising in the promotion of sustainable fisheries and defense of the marine environment through every step of the production chain.
SFP, a not-for-profit charity established in 2006 specialises in providing policy advice on fisheries sustainability to food industries involved in the distribution and supply of fish products.
SFP provides its collaborators with scientifically-based information tools with which to identify the risks associated with each fishing product as well as monitoring their evolution as measures for improvement are put into place at the fisheries of origin. Thanks to fishery improvement projects (FIPs), the seafood industry, together with SFP’s policy advice, is able to mobilise the different interested parties in any given fishery (fisheries management regulators, fishing industry, NGOs) with the aim of drawing up and agreeing a plan of action which ensures the future of sustainable fisheries.
Over the last ten years, FRINSA has consolidated its place as one of the largest European manufacturers of canned tuna and seafood, and is currently the eighth ranked canned tuna producer in the world, processing over 100,000 tonnes in 2013. It is also Spain’s leading canned tuna and bonito operator utilising the Pole & Line fishing method, and has turned its flagship cannery in Ribeira (Province of La Coruña) into one of the largest and most efficient in the sector.
Pedro Ferreiro, in charge of SFP’s Sustainable Markets programme in Spain, welcomed the aoouncement: “We are looking forward to being able to work alongside a firm like FRINSA and starting to apply our working methods in Spain. Sustainability in the fishing and aquaculture sectors is a concern which SFP shares with FRINSA and together we will be able to involve the whole supply chain in setting up measures that lead to real improvements.”
José Aller, Head of Sustainability at Frinsa del Noroeste S.A. said: “This partnership is an important step forward in our company’s commitment to responsibility and sustainability. We take care to ensure that all the fish and aquaculture products we process meet the highest quality and sustainability standards on the market and from now on we will be redoubling our efforts in close collaboration with SFP.”