Blueyou Launches Fair Trade Tuna Programme in Maldives Ahead of World Tuna Day

A Swiss seafood company has launched a new Fair Trade tuna programme in the Maldives aimed at strengthening sustainable fisheries, supporting coastal communities, and expanding access to global markets.

Blueyou announced the initiative on Wednesday in partnership with Fair Trade USA, ahead of World Tuna Day.

The programme will be implemented across 25 island communities in eight atolls, benefiting around 30,000 people, including 2,500 tuna fishers and 500 women engaged in sea cucumber farming and marine conservation efforts.

The fisheries component focuses on skipjack and yellowfin tuna caught using traditional pole-and-line fishing methods, widely regarded as one of the most environmentally sustainable approaches.

According to Fair Trade USA, the initiative could generate more than $700,000 in Fair Trade Community Development Funds for participating communities. The programme is expected to scale up to 200 fishing vessels, with an annual catch capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes, helping expand Maldivian tuna exports to Europe and North America.

Blueyou’s Maldives programme manager, Abdulla Shakir Mohamed, said the initiative integrates sustainable fisheries, community empowerment, and marine conservation to build resilient “blue food systems”.

A key feature of the programme is the inclusion of women in mariculture, with participants organised into Fair Trade Committees to lead sea cucumber cultivation and support inclusive community governance.

The initiative also incorporates environmental measures, including seagrass conservation and restoration, which play a vital role in biodiversity, carbon storage, and coastal protection. Plans are also underway to pilot a solar-powered ice plant to reduce emissions from seafood processing, alongside efforts to improve waste management and plastic recycling.

Blueyou co-founder and CEO René Benguerel said the company aims to supply 500 freight containers of Fair Trade Certified canned tuna to global retail markets over the next five years. He noted that the initiative would help seafood buyers address social risks in the global tuna supply chain.

The programme has already secured international distribution partnerships, including with followfood in Europe and envisible and Arkk Food in the United States.

The Maldives initiative is designed as a scalable model for sustainable blue economy development in island nations, combining responsible fishing, climate-smart aquaculture, and community-led development.