Iberostar Hooks Sustainable Fishing Initiative

A hot topic these days is overtourism – but what about overfishing?

According to the UN, a third of the world’s oceans are overfished, posing a threat to marine species and habitats across the globe.

As a bulk purchaser of seafood products, hotels – some of which serve as much as one tone of seafood a day – can play a significant role in mitigating this crisis. With this in mind, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, a family-owned hotel chain with more than 120 hotels in 19 countries, is taking tangible steps to help fight overfishing by committing to sustainably source 25% of the seafood available in its hotel restaurants from MSC-ASC certified suppliers.

Presently, Iberostar sources 15% of its total seafood from suppliers certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), on the way to reach its goal. These certifications help control overfishing by making sure suppliers comply with the latest laws and regulations limiting overfishing. Iberostar is also working with WWF and FishWise to improve the sourcing of 100 percent of its seafood.

Currently, seven of Iberostar’s restaurants in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Spain and the Canary Islands are MSC-ASC certified:

• Gourmet at Iberostar Grand Paraiso, Mexico
• Le Tourbillon at Iberostar Grand Bavaro in the Dominican Republic
• Gran Clavel at Iberostar Las Letras Gran Vía in Madrid, Spain
• Ca’s Menestral at Iberostar Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, Spain
• Astir at Iberostar Grand Portals Nous and Marea at Iberostar Selection Playa de Palma in Mallorca, Spain
• Papa Negra at Iberostar Grand Mencey in Tenerife in the Canary Islands

Clients eating at any of these MSC-ASC certified restaurants can be assured they’re supporting fishermen and businesses who share their environmental consciousness, which is becoming an increasingly important factor in travellers’ resort choices.

As Canadians grow increasingly conscious about how their lifestyle choices impact the environment, many are realizing that they can make a difference through everyday choices, including where they travel, by supporting companies with sustainable seafood policies.