Fish4Africa care about the sustainability of our oceans and take this matter seriously. As a commercial fisher and retailer, we engage with both commercial fishing vessels and consumers. We also follow a strict traceability policy which is vital in order for us to effectively operate in this industry.
Our own and suppliers fishing permits are issued by DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) who is the regulatory body with whom we comply. As a key role-player, we have participated in various DAFF research programmes as well as research initiatives initiated by CAPMARINE (International Marine Monitoring and Fisheries Consulting Group based in Cape Town), ensuring we provide a positive contribution to the fishing industry.
We are also part of long-standing associations such as The South African Hake Longline Association and The SA Tuna Association to whom we were a contributor and sent an SA based representative to ICCAT (The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas).
In addition, we work with SASSI (South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) by providing them with procurement data that assists them to make informed decisions about their sustainable seafood lists and ensure that the correct information is supplied to the customer (one of our vessels was involved in a research programme which assisted SASSI to move Kingklip from the orange to the green list).
Although there are sometimes differences between the lists supplied by DAFF (the regulator) and SASSI (the NGO), this can often create confusion amongst customers. For this purpose, we engage with SASSI to identify the grey areas and concerns on their lists. DAFF undertake their own scientific research in all fishing sectors so that when certain sectors are under pressure, they put in their own regulatory measures to mitigate unsustainable fishing with which we comply.
Our main objectives are focused on keeping commercial fishing businesses in business, ensure traceability, satisfy customer demand and meet regulatory standards as set out by government (job creation, skill development and BEE). Fish4Africa supports sustainable fishing for strengthening our marine economy and to ensure food security for future generations.
