Is Tuna Sustainability Guaranteed in Ayam Brand™?
Yes, our tuna is sustainable and here is the reason behind this claim:
Even though Ayam Brand™ tuna makes up less than 0.1% of the world's annual tuna catch, Ayam Brand™ is committed to being a quality 'brand' and acts responsibly and steadfastly to ensure the sustainability of fish resources, by carrying out fishing and production processes that are meets and complies with the applicable requirements.
We do not have a direct relationship with tuna fishing activities because we only work with canned fish processing factories to carry out the production process using our recipes and specifications under our quality control. However, we do have influence in setting purchasing specifications for our tuna product manufacturers.
Strict tuna purchasing specifications which require the preservation of fish resources is our way of emphasizing the fishing industry to continue to develop, not only on a sustainable way of fishing for tuna, but also on fair treatment of its workforce, in accordance with the law. employment. Factories that have been selected to produce Ayam Brand™ products must comply with the 'preservation' specifications and requirements set by us.
On purchase specifications include three main categories:
- Biomass
Simple rules to ensure the sustainability of the tuna used for the production of Ayam Brand™.
- Code of Ethics
It is a must for our suppliers and their own suppliers to ensure fair labor and business practices, according to existing regulations.
- Recommendation
Put pressure on the industry to improve fishing methods that minimize bycatch.
1 - BIOMASS
Rule 1: Ayam Brand™ only seeks tuna species that are not endangered, endangered or vulnerable accordingly IUCN Red List.
Rule 2 : Ayam Brand™ source only tuna species from regional stocks with healthy biomass (not overfished and not overfished). The stock is monitored by the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO).
RFMO is an international intergovernmental organization dedicated to the sustainable management of fishery resources in international waters. We follow the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC/iota.org) and the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC/www.wcpfc.int) in particular. Most of their data is published by ISSF (International Seafood Sustainability Foundation - http://iss-foundation.org).
Rule 3: We do not accept tuna supplies from Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing.
Rule 4 : We do not accept tuna supplies from fishing vessels that are not certified Dolphin Friendly or those who practice shark finning or fishing for endangered species.
Rule 5: Ayam Brand™ sources ONLY THREE species of tuna:
- SKIPJACK TUNA (KATSUWONUS PELAMIS)
Most AYAM BRAND™ canned tuna uses skipjack tuna. The skipjack tuna used comes from the Pacific Ocean, where the area has been assessed by the WCPFC as a fishery area with sufficient skipjack tuna sources, but skipjack tuna can also come from other areas that have been assessed by RFMO as sufficient skipjack sources.
- YELLOWFIN (THUNNUS ALBACARES)
Ayam Brand™ uses Yellowfin tuna for its tuna products in oil or in water. In some areas of the world, yellowfin tuna are overfished. Ayam Brand™'s requirement is to only use yellowfin tuna caught in the West Pacific, which has been assessed by the WCPFC as a moderate catch area.
- COMB (THUNNUS COMB)
We managed to replace Yellowfin with a lesser known species, Tonggol, around 16% from our supply. In terms of sustainability balance, such a species (also known as Longtail Tuna) has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, Tonggol is a coastal fish caught by local small-scale fishermen. It contributes to the local economy and is not listed as an endangered tuna species. On the downside, this local tuna species is not used by large industries as it is less easy to collect and process, and therefore there is no formal monitoring of its biomass.
Ayam Brand™ always monitors all the latest information and reports from RFMOs and ISSF for the status of skipjack and yellowfin tuna biomass.
2 - CODE OF CONDUCT
Ayam Brand™ works with suppliers who share the same code of ethics and which makes it a must for their suppliers as well.
- Labor and the surrounding social conditions should comply with state laws and international rules (preventing issues regarding illegal labor and violations of human rights such as slavery and child labour).
- No corruption
- There is no illegal, unregulated, and unreported catch (IUU) fishery
- Do not accept tuna supplies from fishing vessels without a Dolphin Friendly certificate or from shark fin fishing vessels or endangered fish species
3 - RECOMMENDATIONS
We play a role in ensuring our suppliers improve fishing methods for skipjack and yellowfin tuna to minimize bycatch.
Most of the Ayam Brand™ tuna are caught using purse seine fishing vessels, and a small proportion are caught by fishing rods (Pole and Line). We do not accept other fishing methods (such as long line) due to the excessive level of by-catch.
To this day, our suppliers are unable to distinguish catches from purse seines from free-swimming fish or from baited (FAD) fish because the catch has been mixed on board the fishing vessels. But we are in constant dialogue with our suppliers who are committed to continuing to collect data and share technical information. This allows us to better understand the situation in a short time to improve purchasing specifications.
We are also working on adding 'Sustainable Pole and Line' certification for various Ayam Brand™ tuna products, so that Ayam Brand™ can become the choice for consumers in the near future.
Ayam Brand™ is highly committed to sustainability and transparency in the supply chain of its products. We will be happy to receive if you have further questions at “CONTACT US".
