For Immediate Release

BELLEVUE, Wash. (April 30, 2018) – Tri Marine and National Fisheries Developments (NFD) announced today that the Solomon Island flag tuna purse seiner Solomon Topaz departed for the fishing grounds on April 26th after an extensive refit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and final preparations in Noro, Western Province, Solomon Islands.

Solomon Topaz is the latest addition to the NFD’s fleet of six other purse seiners and five pole and line fishing vessels, all based at Noro, Western Province in Solomon Islands.

The catch from the Solomon Topaz, in addition to that from the other NFD owned and operated purse seiners and pole and line vessels, will allow NFD to keep pace with the increased processing capacity and production at SolTuna, the Solomon Islands’ only large-scale tuna processor.

Frank Wickham, Managing Director of NFD, celebrated the announcement. “The addition of the Solomon Topaz to our fleet of vessels is a win for the Solomon Islands tuna industry and the local communities it supports. We’re thrilled that we can make the investments necessary to meet the demand for Solomon Islands tuna products that is driving the growth of NFD and SolTuna.”

NFD purchased the former U.S. flag fishing vessels Cape San Lucas (now Solomon Sapphire) in 2016 and the Cape Horn (now Solomon Topaz) in 2017. This change from U.S. flag to Solomon Islands flag is consistent with the policy of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to increase local participation in the tuna fishery and further underscores Tri Marine’s commitment to supporting island-based economies where the tuna resources are harvested.

“We take very seriously the fact that we are an important part of the Solomon Islands tuna industry and we cherish the privilege to work side by side with the Solomon Islands government creating new jobs and growing our business,” said Renato Curto, CEO of the Tri Marine Group. “We are proud of our island-based model for tuna fishing and processing. The Solomon Topaz is joining a
vertically integrated operation, locally managed by a team committed to providing high-quality tuna products harvested from a sustainable fishery. With World Tuna Day just around the corner, the time is right to celebrate the growth of the sustainable tuna industry.”
The Solomon Islands purse seine and pole and line fisheries are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Locally managed, NFD and SolTuna employ over 2,000 Solomon Islanders and represent one of the country’s largest private sector employers.

ABOUT TRI MARINE
Tri Marine is a recognized leader in fishing, processing and distributing high-quality tuna products to the world’s markets. The company focuses on quality, sustainability, innovation and customer satisfaction. As a socially responsible operator, Tri Marine has chosen to invest in the communities closest to fishery resources. Tri Marine is committed to all of its customers, suppliers and stakeholders for the long term. National Fisheries Developments and SolTuna are part of the Tri Marine Global Group of Companies. For more information, visit www.trimarinegroup.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL FISHERIES DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED (NFD)
Established over 30 years ago, NFD is the Solomon Islands premier fishing company, operating a fleet of purse seine and pole and line vessels from the port of Noro in the Western Province. The company’s management, staff and crew are Solomon Islanders.

ABOUT SOLTUNA
SolTuna is the Solomon Islands only large-scale tuna processor. Based in Noro, Western Province, the company produces cooked frozen tuna loins and fishmeal for export markets, and canned tuna for local, regional and international markets. Its iconic Solomon Blue and Chilli Tuna brands have been available since the 1980’s. The company employs about 1,700 Solomon Islanders. More information can be found at www.soltuna.com.au

MEDIA CONTACT
MARK FOX
MARK.FOX@NYHUS.COM
Office +1 (206) 838-3464
Mobile +1 (619) 987-0153