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From Sea to Can: 2016 Southeast Asia Canned Tuna Ranking G From sea to can: 2016 Southeast Asia Canned Tuna Ranking 1 TABLE OF EXECUTIVE his marks the second consecutive year that SUMMARY Greenpeace Southeast TAsia evaluates the performance of canned tuna brands in Thailand and canneries in Indonesia and CONTENTS © Oscar Siagian / Greenpeace the Philippines – this time, in one combined report. Last year’s reports revealed that the region overall is catch in 2014. This was the marine environment. destructive fishing practices page 3 page 32 lagging when it comes to nearly 2.85 million metric Unfortunately, it is an area remain widespread. Last EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS ensuring that customers are tons of commercial tuna where illegal, unreported and year, several companies provided with sustainably species, worth more than unregulated (IUU) fishing, were given the benefit of page 5 and equitably sourced tuna. USD 22.68 billion at the final forced labor and human the doubt that they were THE CANNED TUNA SUPPLY This year, things remain in point of sale.2 rights abuses have joined being truthful on certain CHAIN a mediocre state overall, together. Tuna companies questions, when it was later but with a glimmer of hope Given the pressures fish continue to face numerous discovered that some of page 8 since most companies are species face globally, many scandals of labor abuse and the answers they provided SECTION ONE CANNED TUNA TRADE demonstrating improvement. tuna stocks are severely slavery in the tuna supply were actually untrue. To overfished. As of 2016, the chain, threats of trade ensure better accuracy of page 10 SECTION three Tuna are amongst the most International Union for embargoes from exporting responses, Greenpeace is HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES economically valuable fish Conservation of Nature’s countries, and accusations requiring further supporting in the world as well as an (IUCN) Red List has listed of non-disclosure in terms documentation for claims page 12 important predator species in Thunnus alalunga (albacore) of production information made by the companies. FISHING SUSTAINABLY – NOT ALL Acknowledgements marine ecosystems.1 The tuna and T. albacares (yellowfin) – they do not even know for GEAR TYPES ARE THE SAME industry provides thousands as “Near Threatened”, sure what they are selling PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR WAS Written by: Layout: of jobs in the catching, T. obesus (bigeye) and in their cans. Even when MIXED. Fortunately, there is a page 14 James Mitchell Tasya P. Maulana processing, and trading T. orientalis (Pacific tuna companies do have a higher rate of engagement by METHODOLOGY Ephraim Batungbacal sector worldwide, including bluefin) as “Vulnerable”, T. better understanding of their the companies this year on Illustrations: in many developing coastal thynnus (Atlantic bluefin) supply chain (traceability), the survey process than there Special thanks to: Ramadhani states, and generates as “Endangered”, and T. they can be very reluctant was for last year’s report. Arifsyah Nasution significant revenues in terms maccoyii (southern bluefin) to communicate this Over two-thirds of the largest page 16 Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul Photos: of access fees. Globally, as “Critically Endangered”3. information to buyers tuna brands and canneries TUNA BRANDS & CANNERIES Korawan Buadoktoom Oscar Siagian commercial tuna is worth Most of the companies in this (transparency) to allow them from the Southeast Asian SCORECARD Sumardi Ariansyah Sanjit Das about USD 42 billion per report are catching one or to make informed purchasing region (Thailand, Philippines, Therese Salvador Ardiles Rante year at the final point of sale, more of these species of tuna. decisions. and Indonesia) participated page 18 Cat Dorey Paul Hilton and about a quarter of that this year. This led to a higher COMPANY PROFILES Sarah King figure to the fishermen who Because the tuna industry While the methodology for degree of communication Vince Cinches target the fish. often operates at a great assessing each company’s and corroboration of data Zelda Soriano distance from the shores, this performance has remained provided for analysis, and SECTION two Darmawi Musni The Western and Central creates a ripe environment the same since last year, may signal the beginning of Pacific Ocean is the world’s of little oversight, where Greenpeace is tightening the a larger level of interest in largest tuna fishery, yielding unsavory businesses can burden of proof, particularly greater transparency with the Printed on 100% recycled paper over half of the world’s total exploit more than just since labor abuses and buying public. 2 From sea to can: 2016 Southeast Asia Canned Tuna Ranking November 2016 From sea to can: 2016 Southeast Asia Canned Tuna Ranking 3 WHY THE Transparency to Southeast Asian customers is poor compared to other regions. TUNA SUPPLY One of the findings in the report is the double standard that some companies exercise depending on the final consumer market. For example, a can of tuna with a final consumer CHAIN destination within Thailand will frequently have little if any information on what kind of tuna is in the can. © Sanjit Das / Greenpeace Meanwhile, that same company will make sure that the very same can, under MATTERS a different label destined for the UK, will display all matter of information on the label, including the species Skipjack is Most Popular. fishing with the use of fish- of tuna, where it was caught, Almost every company aggregating devices (FADs). and the fishing method used. profiled sells skipjack tuna (See the “Fishing Methods” Consumers living here in from the Western and section of this report to learn Southeast Asia deserve to be Central Pacific Ocean. In more about this and other as informed as consumers in general, this is a good thing methods.) Briefly, purse seine other markets. as it is one of the most fishing with FADs is largely abundant tuna stocks. Of uncontrolled and is a wasteful Our oceans, sea life, and he canned tuna supply chain is highly opaque; whole, slaves could have been used to catch the the companies who source fishing method as it catches the people who catch and indeed, this is one of the key reasons for tuna in the can, and the tuna itself might even be skipjack, it makes up on a large number of juvenile process our tuna all deserve combining an assessment of both canned tuna illegally-sourced. The supermarket would then average 71% of their total yellowfin and bigeye tuna, the best treatment possible. Tbrands in the region (namely Thai brands) end up selling bad tuna even though it is paying a tuna sold. Unfortunately, as well as 2.8 to 6.7 times The tuna industry has an with some of the biggest canneries in the region higher premium for sustainable, quality product. most companies also source more to non-target species, opportunity to reverse course (namely from Indonesia and the Philippines). A Obviously this cannot stand. yellowfin tuna, which has like sharks and other sea life, and adopt more sustainable tuna brand cannot be 100% confident in its supply been identified as “Near than purse seining without and equitable business chain if it purchases tuna from a cannery that either Greenpeace has been actively working to shed light Threatened” on the IUCN FADs. A typical profiled practices that protect – purposely or carelessly commingles products from on the tuna supply chain, in an effort to highlight Red List. Those who do sell company sourced roughly instead of exploit – our various fishing vessels without regard to species, best practices in traceability and to ensure that this species are typically on 79% of its tuna from fishing marine environment and fishing ground, or catch method. The integrity of positive reforms further down the supply chain are average selling it as 28% of vessels using this method. workers. the supply chain is indeed the most important not compromised at an earlier part in the supply their total tuna. There are Worse, 15 companies source piece of the puzzle, because without it, well- chain. Several of our questions in the survey even some companies who almost 100% purse seine, Greenpeace will continue to meaning reforms could fail. submitted to tuna companies inquire about a are sourcing albacore (same FAD-caught tuna. If there shed light on unsavory and company’s standards for its suppliers, and whether IUCN listing as yellowfin) – is some good news, it is harmful business practices For example, suppose a supermarket wants to the company has hired third-party auditors to and worse – bigeye, which is that a handful of companies until all tuna companies sell its own brand of canned tuna to customers. double-check its processes and practices. We also categorized as “Vulnerable”. have been purchasing tuna are competing on a level Management at this supermarket feels a sense of request that companies (brands and canneries alike) Nonetheless, when viewed at that was caught using more playing field, and the market responsibility towards protecting the oceans, and show us their performance on traceability audits, a broader level, the profiled responsible methods, such no longer rewards illegal notices that customers are making more sustainable and to disclose their source fishing vessels for companies are generally on as FAD-free purse seine, and unethical practices food choices. Therefore, they decide to only source verification purposes. the right track, in that the handline, pole and line, or that incentivize certain from healthy stocks of skipjack tuna, and from majority of them rely on the troll. Tuna canneries from companies to race to the fishing vessels that fish legally and sustainably most abundant tuna species Indonesia were more likely to bottom. The good news? (e.g., pole and line gear). Cannery X offers to sell – skipjack – to fill their cans.

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