Yesterday saw the launch of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). Composed of scientists, environmental organizations, and the tuna industry, ISSF will focus on ensuring that tuna populations are preserved from overfishing.

Greenpeace, an environmental organization not involved with ISSF, has welcomed its creation. “So far those organizations mandated to manage tuna stocks have failed to do much more than push the species to the brink of extinction,”said Sari Tolvanen, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner. “With the fishing industry clearly willing to fish itself to death, it’s great to see processors finally taking a stand. Now we need the fine words of the ISSF to be translated into real action.”

Tuna are in crisis. The large-scale failure of tuna fisheries to manage the populations has created a situation where every species and nearly all populations are in decline. Some such as Southern bluefin tuna have been classified as critically endangered in the IUCN’s Redlist, but are still being fished. According to a recent study by Jeremy Jackson populations of predatory fish, including tuna, have dropped 90 percent since the 1950s.

In a press release from Greenpeace, the organization urges ISSF to put forward the highest possible standards on the industry, including only fishing tuna from well-managed, non-threatened populations; using fishing methods that do not result in high by-catch; banning Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) which have been shown to increase the catch of juvenile fish too young to have bred; foregoing transshipping at sea; and ensuring all tuna sold was legally caught.

Furthermore, Greenpeace says that ISSF must address issue of equity to make sure that all fishing nations receive a fair price for their tuna.

“We expect ISSF member companies to ‘walk the talk’ they will deliver to tuna management bodies,” said Nina Thuellen, Greenpeace International oceans consumer markets coordinator. “This means the ISSF’s political demands must also be reflected in the sourcing standards of its members. They must also be accountable to consumers who want and have the right to legal, fair and sustainable products.”

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