Fishing & Living

The Fishing & Living™ initiative was set up by Anova Food USA to work towards:

1. Promoting sustainable fisheries through improved fishing practices; and
2. Providing enhanced living conditions for the communities engaged in the industry.

The Fishing & Living™ initiative is an industry-lead initiative springing from Anova Food USA’s commitment to responsible sourcing from sustainable fisheries and thriving fishing communities. Fishing & Living’s philosophy on sustainable fisheries is that a healthy ecosystem goes hand in hand with resilient fishing communities. Therefore Fishing & Living’s work focuses on both ecological and social aspects of fisheries improvement. The Fishing & Living™ initiative is active in various tuna fisheries and is made possible through collaborations with international and local NGOs, local and national governments, a team of field staff on-site and working in the communities, and of course, the fishermen themselves.

Fishing & Living was initiated in 2009 with an initial focus on Indonesian tuna fisheries and has now grown to work with tuna fisheries around the world, including Vietnam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Cook Islands and Fiji.

COMMITMENT AT OUR OCEANS CONFERENCE 2018 

By 2020:

• All tuna products will be 100% traceable
  In 2019 Anova introduced SAP’s blockchain technology throughout its entire supply chain, making all products 100% traceable. From the first point of reception, through the various processing plants and food safety laboratory – information is recorded in the database and stored in ‘the cloud’ by a secure blockchain. As every piece of fish travels along our supply chain data is inputted into the blockchain every step of the way and can instantly provide information about the fish-to-market journey, including the size of the catch, point of capture and the fishing community that caught it, as well as valuable insights to verify authenticity, freshness, safety, fair trade fishing certification and sustainability.
  
• All tuna products will be from sustainable sources: 60% from MSC or Fair Trade USA certified fisheries and 40% from fisheries in credible FIPs
  As of April 2021, 40% of Anova’s fish is sourced from MSC or Fair Trade certified fisheries while 60% is sourced from fisheries enrolled in credible Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). The reason for undershooting the MSC target is due to extremely low supply of Yellowfin (YF) tuna globally throughout 2020, and therefore also low supply of MSC YF supply from Indonesia and the Western Central Pacific (WCP). Nevertheless, in early 2021 Anova made significant strides in expanding  increasing Anova’s Indonesia MSC coverage by 500% compared to 2020.
• Anova Food USA/Fishing & Living will invest $300,000 in sustainable fisheries and communities
  Anova’s average annual contribution in sustainable fisheries and communities in Indonesia between the years 2018-2020 amounts to $396,000/per year. This includes funding of operational costs such as MDPI staff, all Fair Trade/MSC audit expenses, maintaining the existing Fair Trade/MSC sites, expansion of Fair Trade Associations into more fishery villages in both Maluku and North Maluku province as well as the annual premiums paid back to the fishermen.
• Anova Food USA/Fishing & Living will ensure that the Indonesian Fair Trade program will generate $100,000 yearly back to Fair Trade certified fishermen and their communities
  Between 2018-2020, Anova has paid an average of USD 126,331 per year on Fair Trade premiums back to the Fair Trade certified fishermen.
  

SEAFOOD CHAMPION AWARD 2015

The Fishing  & Living program received a SeaWeb Seafood Champion Award for Innovation in 2015 for its innovative approach to sustainable fisheries and community development.