POLICY AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF FINS FROM SHARKS

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) defines the removal of a shark’s fin (shark finning) as. the practice of retaining the shark’s fins on board while discarding the rest of the body back to the sea.

We are aware that shark finning contravenes the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing and its International Action Plan for the conservation and management of shark populations. It also contravenes and does not respect a number of other resolutions passed by international marine bodies. Shark finning causes the death of a large number of sharks each year and threatens a species that is considered to be vulnerable.

For these reasons, and taking into account the management measures applied by the Regional Fisheries Management Bodies (RFMOs), as well as the national and international regulations for the conservation of marine life, Irizabal, S.A., has established and included the following points into their tuna purchase and supply policy:

1. To condemn and prohibit the removal of shark fins (shark finning).
2. To avoid commercial transactions with vessels that have been identified by the Regional Fisheries Management Bodies (RFMOs), or by national or international authorities as participating in the practice of the removal of shark fins.
3. To avoid commercial transactions with companies that have not prohibited and condemned the practice of removal of shark fins. To not carry out transactions with companies that do not have a public policy that prohibits shark finning and requiring that, if they are retained, sharks are unloaded with their fins inherently intact.

Irizabal S.A.