Baja Marine Foods, a company within the Tri Marine Group, based in Ensenada, Mexico has successfully undergone Friend of the Sea audit and its squid and sardine products can now carry the international sustainability seal of approval.
The purse seine vessels contracted exclusively by Baja Marine Foods to fish squid (Loligo opalescens) and sardines (Sardinops sagax) were found to comply with all Friend of the Sea criteria for a sustainable fishery.
The target stock of sardines and squid are not overexploited in the fishing area (FAO AREA 77 within 100 miles from the coast of the Mexican city of Ensenada, Baja California) and overfishing is not occurring. Management measures are implemented to maintain the stock biomass at a sustainable level.
By-catch is very low and almost no discards are generated (less than 0.01 per cent). The squid and sardine fisheries retain and use all by-catch. The major by-catch from the sardine fishery is Spanish mackerel, mackerel and anchovies, while the squid fishery is almost always mono species. None of the by-caught species are included in the IUCN Red List of endangered species.
Fishing gears comply with local regulations, both for net and mesh size. Fishing is not allowed in protected areas.
The Mexican Government has implemented a precautionary approach to preserve the stock and the marine environment. All fish deliveries must be reported as established by local regulations. All information related to fishing area, tonnage and caught species is collected in a Delivery Report available at the local port authority.
The fishery is implementing measures to prevent waste dispersion and only non-toxic chemicals are used both on board and in the processing facility.
Some control procedures, in particular concerning energy management were found to be compliant after having put in practice Friend of the Sea required corrective actions.
“Friend of the Sea certification represents an important added value for our products" explains Adrián Gutiérrez, Baja Marine General Manager “and we’re proud to be the very first Mexican company to have obtained this important acknowledgment”.
"Sustainability is a universal value and I’m happy to see that more and more people worldwide share our commitment," adds Paolo Bray Director of Friend of the Sea.
