Friend of the Sea, a sustainability certification for products from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, has also become an international reference standard for producers of fish oil, fishmeal and Omega-3.
32 companies from 11 countries (Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, UK and USA) have relied on Friend of the Sea's assessment to verify the sustainable origin of their products.
The Antartic krill, the Atlantic menhaden and the Peruvian anchovies fisheries are among those approved according to Friend of the Sea sustainability requirements. These fisheries are considered among the best managed fisheries worldwide, with historical catch and biomass data collected and interpreted over the past decades and enforcement of strict regulations. Most of these fisheries are pelagic fisheries with no impact on the seabed and very high selectivity. Some of the certified products originate from selected seafood processing bycuts or trimmings, thus optimizing use of marine resources.
Producers know that Omega-3 consumers care for conservation and ecology. The ecolabel provides an effective way to communicate environmental performance to their customers.
"Friend of the Sea aims at promoting those Omega-3 products which originate from sustainable and well managed fisheries" explained Dr Paolo Bray - director of Friend of the Sea "for this reason we will participate to the International Omega-3 tradeshow - VitaFoods Geneva - and we will also increase our communication to the Omega-3 consumers. "
