FoS LAUNCHES PROJECT TO CONSERVE PENGUINS

FoS launches project to conserve penguins

Friend of the Sea, the certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, has launched a conservation project aimed at protecting the world’s penguins from the effects of fishing and industrial activities. Penguins are being affected by overfishing and degradation of their habitats – to the point where some penguin species are facing extinction. The penguin initiative is one of several being undertaken by Friend of the Sea and its sister Friend of the Earth.

“Penguins are at risk due to fishery interaction and other man-made environmental impacts,”said Paolo Bray, Director of Friend of the Sea. “There are ways of countering this problem, such as only eating seafood that comes from well-managed and sustainable fisheries that take measures to protect penguins and the broader marine environment.”

Penguins are a “bycatch,” a species that gets caught in fishing nets unintentionally, but often fatally. At the same time, the fishing industry can disrupt the food chain the penguins rely upon to survive. And, plastic waste and industrial development, along with climate change, further damage the penguins’ habitats. Of the 18 major species of penguin in the world, 13 species are facing severe threats to their existence. The most affected habitats are in the southern hemisphere.

The conservation project offers several paths to solving the penguin endangerment crisis. These include improved fisheries management, practices that reduce bycatch and measures to improve the penguins’ nesting and breeding habitat. KD Pharma, the international manufacturer of Omega-3 product solutions, has announced support for the project.

Friend of the Sea and Friend of the Earth are each overseeing a portfolio of 20 conservation projects. Friend of the Sea projects include “Save the Albatross,” “Save the Corals,” “Fish Welfare,” “Save the Sharks” and more. Friend of the Earth is funding and managing programs such as “Save Parrots,” “Save the Primates,” “Save the Pangolins” and “Save the Bats.”