The journey to sustainability
Paulus Tjoanda, the founder of Harta Samudra, entered fishery business (Tuna & skipjack) back in 1990, with 10 fishing vessels and the fishing knowledge he learned from tuna experts from japan. Since then, he had continued to improve his skills and knowledge of how to maintain the quality of raw material, especially Yellowfin Tuna, which he later passed on to his son, Robbert Tjoanda.
Due to the increasing global demand, in 2008, together with his son, they built a new seafood processing plant in Ambon Fishing Port and became one of the largest cold storage in Maluku. With this new facility, Harta Samudra has recruited and trained more than 1000 small scale-fishermen using the handline fishing method - It's about one fisherman, using one hook to catch one Yellowfin Tuna. We believe it is the most sustainable and environmentally responsible way to catch Tuna. Up until now, Harta Samudra has built 4 processing plant facilities located in Ambon, Banda, Buru Island and Morotai, and has over 300 employees.
Our Missions
To maintain fisheries sustainability & livelihood improvement of small-scale fishermen
To successfully meet the challenges and demands of domestic and global market
To establish long-term planning for the benefit of the stakeholders
To produce delicious, safe, healthy and traceable seafood products
Harta Samudra is one of the leading company in implementing responsible sourcing practices in Indonesia. By partnering with Yayasan Masyarakat Dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI), Anova Food and Maluku Fisheries and Marine Services, we contribute the implementation of rigorous sampling and data collection program toward traceable and responsible fisheries management, especially Yellowfin Tuna, in Maluku and Indonesia.
In 2014, Harta Samudra received the first in the world Fair Trade wild catch Yellowfin Tuna certification. This certification is the way to show the world that we are moving in the right direction and supporting the fish and livelihood sustainability in Indonesia.
After attained BRC certification in 2018, and thorough process and rigorous assessment, in 2020, by partnering with MDPI and Anova food, we became the first Indonesian handline tuna fishery (and in the world) to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) with the ecolabel, which is considered the highest, most recognized seafood certification program, and indicates that we've met the international best practices for sustainable fishing.
Photo courtesy of MDPI
