Washington, DC – The National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council congratulates the Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for its Best Projects Sustainability Award 2021 from Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Managing Director of Taprobane Seafoods, Timothy O’Reilly, accepted the award noting that, “this FIP has long been a precompetitive collaboration focused not only to the health of the resource but the health of the communities that harvest it, the very definition of sustainable and socially responsible seafood. For our company, commitment to this kind of work is fundamental to who we are and how we operate.”
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce awards have previously honored corporations like the National Development Bank PLC and Nestlé as stand out corporate citizens. The Chamber was first established in 1839 and hasn’t recognized a seafood entity in the last 14 years.
“We are pleased to see our cohorts on the ground in Sri Lanka getting the recognition they deserve,” said Ed Rhodes, NFI Crab Council Executive Director. “We are not surprised to see them lauded for their achievements and we know the progress being highlighted today did not come over night but after nearly a decade of hard work.”
Over its lifetime the FIP has succeeded in maintaining a focus on improving the biological status of the stock, reducing the ecological impact, strengthening fishery management and growing the economic benefit to fishing communities.
“This is the kind of holistic approach to sustainability and management that can fundamentally change the trajectory of a fishery,” said Bryan Rosenberg, CEO of Thai Union North America. “This recognition is well-deserved.” Thai Union is the primary distributor of Chicken of the Sea brand crabmeat from Sri Lanka.
Since 2009, the NFI Crab Council has practiced industry led stewardship, addressing fishery needs through scientific, social, and financial channels. Learn more at committedtocrab.org.
