Since our founding in 1979, we have fostered close relationships with our suppliers and customers. We have traditionally been on the cutting edge of sustainability, supplying the UK’s first MSC canned tuna (albacore), first MSC skipjack tuna (Maldivian), and first FAD-free canned tuna to a major supermarket, and with a large percentage of our tuna purchased from pole and line fisheries. Because of the strong relationships we maintain with our suppliers, we are in a position to influence positive change in our source fisheries, crops, and farms.
Below are the base standards we will always ensure our products meet. Please note that each of our customers upholds their own strict sourcing criteria which means our products will often go above and beyond this baseline.
Tuna Products
No Shark Finning
Shark fins are a Chinese delicacy considered to have medicinal properties. They are one of the most expensive fish products in the world.
‘Shark finning is the practice of retaining shark fins and discarding the remaining carcass while at sea.’ This practice violates the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; further, discarding the carcasses leads to a lack of data on the health of shark populations.
Kingfisher Foods will only source from vessel owners with a published policy prohibiting shark finning and requiring sharks be landed with fins naturally attached if retained, displayed on their vessels. We will preferentially source from vessels and vessel owners who have never participated in shark finning and/or do not land all sharks with fins naturally attached if retained. In the exceptional case where this is not possible, we will only purchase from vessels at least 2 years following the date of their most recent finding. This is in line with our commitments as an ISSF Participating Company.
Dolphin Safe
We will only purchase from tuna suppliers who are registered under the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Safe scheme. This ensures that no dolphins or other marine mammals were encircled by a fishing net, that no accidental deaths or serious injuries of any dolphins occurred, and that no drift gill nets were used during a fishing trip.
No Transhipment at Sea
Fishing vessels will often move their catch onto a carrier vessel so that tuna can make its way to a processing facility. When this is done at port, the local authorities can monitor and collect data on the catch to ultimately ensure overfishing is not occurring and fish has been legally caught. However, when fish are transferred at sea, there is a higher likelihood of data not being properly collected. Because of this lack of oversight, transhipment at sea is commonly linked to IUU fishing. For this reason, Kingfisher Foods will not source from any purse seine vessels who have transhipped at sea, unless the transhipment has been authorised by all the relevant authorities, the entire process has been overseen by an independent observer, and the catch has been sampled for data collection. This is in line with our commitments as an ISSF Participating Company.