Last month, Thai Union agreed to pursue measures that will tackle illegal fishing and overfishing throughout its supply chains. The company says the new commitments “builds upon its sustainability strategy SeaChange, including efforts to support best practice fisheries, improve other fisheries, reduce illegal and unethical practices in its global supply chains, and bring more responsibly-caught tuna to key markets.”

The announcement follows a global Greenpeace campaign that called on the company to “drive much needed change.” Other reforms the company has agreed to include:

-Reducing the number of fish aggregating devices (FADs) used globally in its supply chains by an average of 50 percent by 2020, while doubling the amount of verifiable FAD-free fish available in markets globally in the same period. FADs are floating objects that create mini ecosystems and may result in the catch of marine species, including sharks, turtles, and juvenile tuna.

-Shifting significant portions of longline caught tuna to pole and line or troll-caught tuna by 2020 and implement strong requirements in place to help reduce bycatch. Longline vessels present a risk for catching non-target species like seabirds, turtles, and sharks.

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