Fair Trade Tuna

In 2012, I was invited to join the Fair Trade USA Fisheries Action Committee, a group of global experts tasked with developing the first set of sustainability and social-responsibility standards for wild-caught seafood. Over a year of collaboration, our committee defined the principles and measurable criteria that would form the foundation of Fair Trade USA’s Capture Fisheries Standard — the world’s first comprehensive framework to ensure that fishing communities could access fair compensation, safe working conditions, and environmental stewardship through third-party certification.

In 2013, I departed from the committee to take those principles from paper to practice as a partner in Anova Food. We partnered with PT Harta Samudra in Ambon and Buru, Maluku, Indonesia, and Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia to lead the effort to create the first operational Fair Trade–certified fishery anywhere in the world. Our goal was to prove that small-scale tuna fishers could meet rigorous sustainability and labor standards while improving their livelihoods and protecting ocean ecosystems.

After a full year of training, data collection, and audits, our program achieved certification in 2014, marking the world’s first Fair Trade USA–certified wild-capture fishery. The certification covered hundreds of one- and two-man handline boats catching yellowfin tuna across the Maluku region. Each landing was logged, traced, and verified under the new Fair Trade system, creating a transparent and ethical supply chain from fishers to global markets.

The program’s impact was immediate and profound. Fishers organized into local associations gained access to international markets, received premium payments for each kilogram landed, and invested those funds in community improvements such as first-aid kits, safety equipment, and marine-waste cleanup. The initiative demonstrated that responsible fishing could coexist with social progress and became a model replicated in other parts of Indonesia and beyond.

What began as a concept on a committee table evolved into a living proof of sustainable development in action — a project that not only delivered traceable, responsibly caught tuna to consumers worldwide but also empowered the Indonesian fishing communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans.

Market acceptance was immediate. The Fair Trade logo carried weight with consumers as they were shopping in the grocery store. In some markets (particularly the NE USA) we saw lifts of up to 30% when Fair Trade product was positioned in the retail case.

The fishery was certified in 2014 and today, despite the many challenges in the world today, remains strong and a major selling point in the US market.

Blane Olson

Pioneering

The World's First Fair Trade

Certified Tuna Fishery

Blane Olson

Pioneering

The World's First Fair Trade

Certified Tuna Fishery

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