SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, World Ocean Day, The Bumble Bee Seafood Company is making its 2021 Seafood Future Report available to share progress made this past year against sustainability and social responsibility goals, as well as to announce new alliances in the ocean regeneration area. The report also builds accountability into the company’s plans and reflects Bumble Bee’s purpose and ongoing commitment to feeding a growing population by protecting the world’s oceans and the people who rely on them for their livelihoods. The 2021 Seafood Future Report comes just two weeks after Bumble Bee and parent company, FCF CO., LTD. (FCF), announced two new albacore longline fishing assessments spanning multiple nations, three oceans and three tuna species.
“We debuted our Seafood Future platform last June and the events of this past year have reinforced that we live in a world where we are inextricably linked both to each other and the planet,” said Jan Tharp, President and CEO, The Bumble Bee Seafood Company. “I’m extremely proud of the progress we’ve made, yet we know there is more to be done in tackling the challenges of sustainable fishing, safe and fair labor practices and improving the health of our oceans.”
In last year’s inaugural report, Bumble Bee committed to ensuring all seafood sourced would be externally recognized as sustainable or in a formal program moving toward certification by 2025. The two new longline assessments cover more than 250 vessels and represent approximately 50% of all albacore tuna production for the company. These assessments come as a result of two years of implementation of Fishery Improvement Project action plans that work to protect the abundance of tuna stocks, mitigate fishing impact on other species, and ensure the fisheries are monitored and well managed.
Additional progress that Bumble Bee highlighted in this year’s Seafood Future Report includes:
- Achieving 100% Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification on wild salmon, up from 68% last year.
- Working with FCF to expand a best-in-class social audit program announced in 2020 that includes extensive training, a risk-based screening approach and third-party audits on fishing vessels to identify and address issues and protect crew members. The program also includes the addition of a “worker voice” program that gives fishers the opportunity to anonymously provide feedback to third-party NGOs on their working environment and vessel compliance.
- Supporting regenerative ocean practices through collaboration with two non-profits, SeaTrees in partnership with The Bay Foundation, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP). To help combat disappearing kelp forests off the coast of California, the company will restore the kelp equivalent of three football fields on the coast of Los Angeles, just south of the company’s canning facility in Santa Fe Springs. Additionally, Bumble Bee is helping SeaTrees plant 15,000 mangrove trees off Biak Island, Indonesia. Bumble Bee has also invested in ORP’s mission to restore oyster reefs by replanting 500,000 oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
“Our sustainability and social impact journey began years ago but now is the time to accelerate our actions,” said Leslie Hushka, SVP of Global Corporate Social Responsibility, The Bumble Bee Seafood Company. “We will continue to invest in and close the gap on some of the biggest challenges in the sustainability space through new and expanded partnerships and continued collaboration within the industry and with NGOs, governments and international organizations.”
The Seafood Future Report and more information about the company’s sustainability and social responsibility efforts can be found at https://thebumblebeecompany.com/impact/.
ABOUT THE BUMBLE BEE SEAFOOD COMPANY
The Bumble Bee Seafood Company is passionately pursuing its purpose of feeding people’s lives through the power of the ocean. The iconic 120-year-old fishing company consistently aims to deliver delicious, healthy, and affordable food to consumers while working hard to find new ways to protect the ocean and those that rely on it. Bumble Bee is firmly anchored in a commitment to connect the world to the ocean by re-defining sourcing, producing, and enjoying products from and inspired by the ocean.
Bumble Bee’s full line of seafood and specialty protein products are marketed in the U.S., Canada and over 50 markets globally under leading brands including Bumble Bee®, Brunswick®, Clover Leaf®, Snow’s®, Wild Selections® and Beach Cliff®. For more information about the company, visit TheBumbleBeeCompany.com. For product information, visit www.BumbleBee.com.
