The Texas headquartered Omega Protein has successfully demonstrated that it meets FOS criteria for sustainable purse seiners, which includes selective fishing methods and sources from non-overexploited stocks.
The fish meal supplier already holds the certification for sustainable Atlantic menhaden.
Omega Protein said its discard rate is zero, and by-catch is minimal, as a result of a system aboard its vessels that allows larger, non-targeted fish to easily escape during the loading phase.
And the firm said a full traceability system is in place throughout the company owned supply chain, from fishery to production facility and finished product manufacturing. This is said to guarantee that no mixing between approved and non-approved sources occurs.
FOS is an international certification project for products originated from both sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. The NGO’s certification requirements follow the FAO Guidelines for the eco-labelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. Only products from stocks that are not overexploited can be certified.