Jakarta, 15 January 2009: Anova Food, a leading supplier of fresh and frozen seafood products to Europe and America, was nominated for the sustainability award by the Dutch product organisation for fish. The award ceremony was held on 8 January 2009, during the New Years reception of the Dutch Fish Board in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. In Indonesia, Anova is partners with WWF on the Fishing and Living project in the Coral Triangle (in and around Indonesia), and works towards sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing, both wild-catch and aquaculture.

In the midst of the global fishing crisis marked by the bluefin tuna fiasco in the Mediterranean Sea with widespread illegal fishing and violation of fisheries management rules, Anova and WWF are collaborating to produce sustainable tuna and other seafood products that adhere to the MSC Eco-labelling (Marine Stewardship Council).  
 
Anova is piloting trials of gear adjustment using circle hooks instead of J-hooks and carrying out observer programmes on board long-line tuna vessels, in order to minimize by-catch of sea turtles.

Education and training for hand-line fishers to be effective and sustainable in tuna fishing and post-catch production are being conducted by Anova and WWF. Specifically for wild-catch, Anova is building together with hand-line tuna suppliers the capacity in fisheries management to ensure the quality of seafood products meet the standard and principles of MSC Eco-labelling.

In Europe and America, two of the biggest importers in the world, the demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly seafood products is on the rise. In 2008, Anova exported around 3000 tonnes of seafood products from Indonesia to European and American markets, and met a small percentage of the world demand for such sustainable and environmentally friendly seafood products.

The sustainability award ceremony in the Netherlands is a ray of shining light in the midst of the global fishing crisis. It signifies the strong commitment to sustainable fisheries by all stakeholders including government, industry and consumers in support of conservation strategies such as the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, prevention of IUU (Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported) fishing, ecosystem-based management of coastal and marine areas, and empowerment of local communities.
 
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Editors note:
 
1. The Coral Triangle is the world's centre of marine biodiversity, matched in its importance to life on Earth only by the Amazon rainforest and the Congo basin. Defined by marine areas containing more than 500 species of reef-building coral, it covers 5.4 million square kilometres of ocean across six countries in the Indo-Pacific – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
• The Coral Triangle also directly sustains the lives of nearly 130 million people and contains key spawning and nursery grounds for tuna, while healthy reef and coastal systems underpin a growing tourism sector. WWF is working with other NGOs, multilateral agencies and governments around the world to support conservation efforts in the Coral Triangle for the benefit of all.
• For information on WWF’s Coral Triangle Programme go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle
2. A leading and ambitious supplier to Europe and America, Anova Food is a major player in the marketplace for both fresh and frozen seafood products with a broad base of seafood solutions.
• For more on Anova’s cooperation with WWF on Fisheries Sustainability go to: www.anovafood.com/page.asp?back=yep&lStrArtNr=1.1.22&lStrPagePath=Sustainability&lIntMenuStyle=5&lIntLevel=11&lStrLang=EN&lStrBuyer=
• For information on Anova go to: www.anovafood.com 
3. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a global organisation working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. MSC's fishery certification program and seafood eco-label recognise and reward sustainable fishing.
• For information on MSC go to: www.msc.org
 
For further information:
 
Imam Musthofa, National Fisheries Coordinator, WWF-Indonesia, +62 21 576 1070 Ext. 611, IMusthofa@wwf.or.id
Angela Lim, Communications Manager, WWF Coral Triangle Programme, +60 88 262 420, ALim@wwf.org.my