Swiss Company Launches Fair Trade Tuna Program in the Maldives Ahead of World Tuna Day

Swiss seafood company Blueyou has launched a Fair Trade Certified tuna program in the Maldives ahead of World Tuna Day, aiming to boost sustainable fishing, expand export markets and support coastal communities.

The initiative, developed in partnership with Fair Trade USA, will cover 25 island communities across eight atolls, benefiting around 30,000 people, including 2,500 tuna fishers and 500 women engaged in sea cucumber farming and marine conservation work.

The fisheries component will focus on skipjack and yellowfin tuna caught using traditional pole-and-line methods, widely regarded as environmentally sustainable. The program also plans to scale up to 200 fishing vessels with an annual capacity of 20,000 metric tons, targeting expanded market access in Europe and North America.

According to Fair Trade USA, more than $700,000 in community development funds will be directed to participating islands to support local projects and improve livelihoods.

Blueyou said the initiative will integrate fisheries with climate-focused measures, including seagrass protection, waste management improvements and a pilot solar-powered ice plant to reduce the carbon footprint of seafood processing.

A key component includes organizing women involved in mariculture into Fair Trade Committees, with a focus on expanding sea cucumber farming and strengthening community decision-making.

The program is also expected to supply significant volumes of shelf-stable tuna products to international markets through distribution partnerships in Europe and the United States, as part of a five-year plan to export up to 500 containers of Fair Trade-certified canned tuna.

Blueyou says the Maldives project is designed as a scalable model for sustainable “blue economy” development, combining responsible fishing, ecosystem conservation and community-led governance.