Publix has been diving into efforts to help protect our oceans and provide sustainable seafood for our customers for over 10 years. During the last year, we donated more than $165,000 to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) to help protect whales, sea turtles and other marine life.
SFP, a nonprofit marine conservation organization, used our donations to reduce bycatch, the accidental catch or entanglement of non-target species like whales, sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.
Our donations included
- over $83,000 for ropeless fishing gear
- more than $42,000 for electronic monitoring to reduce bycatch and
- Publix’s annual $40,000 donation to support SFP’s initiatives to achieve steady and continuous improvements in fisheries.
Ropeless fishing gear
Ropeless fishing gear, commonly known in the fishing industry as on-demand gear, includes enhanced traps that catch lobster and crab from the ocean floor. These traps also help reduce the risk of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, getting entangled in the ropes. Only 350 of these whales are alive today. The gear is supplied through gear libraries to fishers and commercial fisheries free of charge.
Traditional traps use a rope that extends from a buoy to a cage dropped to the ocean floor. Whales cannot detect the line and often get tangled in it.
Ropeless traps have an inflatable buoy inside, and trackers are used to locate the traps. When the trap is ready to be collected, fishers activate the buoy to bring the trap to the surface.
Bycatch monitoring devices
Five fishing boats within our supply chain have been equipped with high-quality cameras and monitoring equipment. This technology collects data on the effectiveness of best practices to reduce bycatch in the mahi-mahi, swordfish and yellowfin tuna fisheries in Costa Rica and Panama. The equipment records when and where bycatch occurs, tracks migration patterns and gathers data on the species involved.
Fishery improvement projects
Our annual $40,000 donation supports SFP’s initiatives and efforts to advance fishery improvement projects, including addressing bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery and fostering healthy growth of blue swimming crab in various fishing locations.
“It is important to Publix to support and assist seafood industry leaders so that meaningful and lasting steps can be taken to protect marine life while allowing for the responsible and sustainable harvesting of seafood,” said Business Development Director of Seafood Guy Pizzuti.
“These donations are important for 2 reasons,” said SFP Director of Biodiversity and Nature Kathryn Novak. “They show that retailers like Publix are committed to playing a role in protecting ocean wildlife from fishing impacts. They also allow fishers to get new gear and encourage improved commercial fishing practices. SFP is proud to work with Publix on these initiatives.”
