Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia-based Walker’s Tuna has signed on to the Tuna Transparency Pledge, a global initiative led by The Nature Conservancy which aims to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) tuna fishing via scaling electronic monitoring and other transparency efforts.
Walker’s Tuna Managing Director Heidi Walker said that she was proud that her company was “leading by example.”
“Every vessel in our fleet is already equipped with independent electronic monitoring that captures verifiable catch data – putting us well ahead of the 2027 goal set by the Tuna Transparency Pledge,” she said. “As long-time stewards of the ocean, we know that transparency and traceability are essential to protecting marine ecosystems, ensuring legal and ethical fishing practices and securing a sustainable future for the industry. Joining the pledge allows us to stand alongside other responsible organizations who are serious about meaningful, industry-wide change.”
Through the pledge, The Nature Conservancy aims to bring together tuna fishery stakeholders – including companies, governments, and NGOs – to protect the global tuna supply and the ocean ecosystem through full on-the-water monitoring of industrial tuna vessels.
“Electronic monitoring – the use of onboard video cameras, GPS, and sensors to monitor and verify fishing activities – and human observers can strengthen transparency and provide critical data needed for the sustainable management of tuna and other ocean species.”
The Nature Conservancy added that while global tuna fisheries produce 5 million tons of fish and a dockside value of USD 10 billion (EUR 8.8 billion) a year, “a lack of transparency is threatening global seafood supply, harming coastal communities, and undermining conservation efforts.”
Since its launch in 2024, the pledge has been adopted by a number of major retailers, industry organizations, and governments globally, including Walmart, Thai Union, Carrefour, Albertsons Companies, Aramark, Culimer USA, Lusamerica Foods, Whole Foods, Pacific Island Tuna, the Association of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (AGAC), the government of Belize, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
“Without transparency at sea, illegally and unsustainably caught fish will continue entering the supply chain undetected,” The Nature Conservancy Large-Scale Fisheries Director Ben Gilmer said.
The Nature Conservancy, working with Conservation International, has also been behind research efforts to understand the ways in which electronic monitoring on fishing vessels can help address labor abuse.
That project studied how electronic monitoring could not only prevent IUU fishing but also protect crewmembers from human rights violations at sea. It found that proper electronic monitoring could be used to alert authorities to accidents and injuries, whether personal protective equipment is available, how long crewmembers are working and resting, and the length of trips at sea.
“On-the-water monitoring is ready to scale today and helps ensure that the seafood on our plates has been harvested in compliance with fishery laws and social standards,” Gilmer said.