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Alvor Seafood

A Word about Sustainability

Sustainability, thankfully, has become a more common term in our world as it applies to our natural resources. Sustainable seafood is seafood that is either caught or farmed in ways that consider the long-term vitality of harvested species and the well-being of the oceans, as well as the livelihoods of fisheries-dependent communities. It was first promoted through the sustainable seafood movement which began in the 1990s. Linnane & Company is proud of our commitment to these standards which are applied to all ALVOR products.

All species under the ALVOR label are wild caught and are all-natural. Most species are line-caught in the north Atlantic. All species are sustainable, either caught by EU fishing vessels on EU fishing grounds or caught by 3rd country vessels previous approved and inspected by the EU fisheries control agency. No fish/seafood species can enter EU space without previous EU approval on both vessel sanitary conditions and sustainability of the fishery.

Regarding Octopus, they are wild caught, pot caught by day boat artisanal fisheries on the Portugal Coast. These fisheries are exceptionally well managed and no TAC (Total Allowable Catch) has been set due to stability of the allowed fishing effort over the past ten years.

Key factors that contribute to keep the fishery in a healthy status

Biomass is constantly assessed and found to be at good levels. IPMA the Portuguese Fisheries Research Institute and both Universities of Aveiro and Algarve carry specific scientific programs to monitor, study and control the Portuguese octopus fishery due to its economic and social importance.

  • Catch figures constant over the years.
  • Fishing effort remains stable. No new permits are issued.
  • Fishing fleet is very weather sensitive which seriously limits fishing during winter time and naturally creates biological rest periods.
  • Fishing gears are very selective, targets the mature individuals of higher outcome with virtually no by-catches or discards and with minimum environmental damage.
  • Species natural resilience.
  • Minimum catch weight. Underweight octopus is returned to the ocean, alive.

Octopus Portuguese Fishery

  • Fishing grounds: Portuguese coast (FAO 27 mostly / some in FAO 34)
  • Fishing gears: Pots (shelter traps) and baited traps.
  • Nature of Fishery: Artisanal (boats up to 150 hp) and 15 mts (49 feet) LOA.
  • Area of Fishery: Inside the 9 nautical zone (from shoreline)

9 NM zone is exclusive to artisanal fishery. Trawlers are only allowed outside the 9 nm zone. Nevertheless even inside the 9 nm zone there are some closure areas, considered as “maritime sanctuaries” where no fishing activity is allowed.

Licensing

Each boat carries a valid fishing permit issued by the Portuguese Ministry of Fisheries, renewable on a yearly basis and in compliance with the EU master fisheries regulations. Each permit determines the total # of traps each boat is allowed to operate.

Boat control

Each vessel carries a VMS box (Vessel monitoring system) that logs and transmits via satellite vessels position every 3 minutes to the Portuguese fishing authority. Boats are only allowed to unload their catches to a network of 22 state owned auction houses where catches are inspected (min. weight, freshness, etc.) prior to being sold at said auction houses.

Portuguese Navy and Air Force execute a program of fisheries inspection and control year round, boarding vessels at sea and extra monitoring their positions and catches.

TAC

No Total Allowable Catch has been set for the Portuguese octopus fishery as the fishing ground is considered to be in a healthy condition.

Min. Weight

Portuguese octopus fishing regulations forbid catches and landings of octopus weighting bellow 1.65 lbs. Portuguese octopus fishery is 99% artisanal, using pots and traps as fishing gear that are used as shelter only by larger size octopus. These two factors combined raise the average weight of the octopuses contributing to a sustainable management of the fishery.

CO Footprint

Low. Small boats don’t require powerful engines. Fishing grounds are located very close to shore. Hauling/setting the gears (pots and traps) is done at very low speed or even stopped.

Fisheries Improvement Project/Plans (FIP)

Normally a FIP is set up in order to teach the (subject} fishing community how to exploit the available resource in a sustainable fashion while at the same time improves other aspects of the fishery such as HACCP implementation, new packaging/storing possibilities, etc. A FIP aims to achieve sustainability of the resource while improving all socio-economic aspects of the fishery. A FIP occours where the local government/authorities lack the resources/knowledge to discipline a fishery.

Portugal’s octopus fishery is a artisanal fishery taking place all over the Portuguese coast. Being Portugal a 1st world country and a member of the European community the concept of a FIP doesn’t apply to any of its fisheries, octopus or another. Fisheries inspection and control has a strong enough presence on the field to control and validate all fishing fleets activities. Technology is widely used in its fisheries. VMS system (vessel monitoring system – vessel logs position every 3 minutes) is used since 90’s of the last century. All fishing activities are regulated by specific laws that have been approved by the EU parliament.

Our plant is located in Viseu, Portugal as the packer of Alvor fish and seafood products, with EU Plant sanitary approval #PTR018501P, FDA registration# 11427364048.