Norpac Fisheries Export's Managing Member Thomas Kraft Forms New Partnership to Protect Future Marine Environments in Indonesia

HONOLULU, Hawaii, February 2, 2012 — Norpac Fisheries Export Managing Member Thomas Kraft today announced the formation of a partnership with Arya Cakti of PT Sari Segara Utama in Benoa Indonesia, aimed at finding new solutions for protecting the world's most diverse marine environment.

The partnership was inspired by Kraft's participation in the Coral Triangle Initiative Regional Business Forum in October, 2011. The Initiative is a weeklong gathering of hundreds of business, government and civil society leaders advocating strong public and private partnerships for the sustainability of the six Coral Triangle nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.

This partnership is the latest step in Norpac's "Best Practices" and "ARTS" commitment, as they relate to the Honolulu-based company's employment and corporate practices.

The goal of the Coral Triangle Initiative is to establish responsible fishing practices in this 5.7 million square kilometer region of critical ocean and terrestrial ecosystems which supports the world's highest concentration of marine biodiversity. The Coral Triangle, which provides livelihoods for 240 million people and food security for millions more, is threatened by over-fishing and destructive fishing practices, land and sea-based pollution, and significant climate change impacts.

Home to 76 percent of the world's known coral species and 37 percent of the world's coral reef fish species, the Coral Triangle also houses and commercially-valuable species such as tuna, whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, including six of the world's seven known species of marine turtles. The region also contains key spawning and nursery grounds for tuna, and its reef and coastal systems also underpin a growing tourism sector.

Lida Pet-Soede, Ph.D., leader of the Coral Triangle Initiative, says that strong public and private partnerships (like the one formed by Norpac Fisheries Export and PT Sari Segara Utama in Benoa Indonesia), are the kind of forward-looking solution the Coral Triangle needs.

"Strong public and private partnerships are vital for a healthy Coral Triangle, a marine environment on which over 120 million people depend," Pet-Soede said.

Kraft is passionate and dedicated to supporting accountable, responsible, traceable and sustainable practices in Norpac's daily actions when it comes to their products, employees, and impact on the environment.

"We account for every fish we capture, and retain and utilize all that we capture, which are logged daily for tracking and reporting," Kraft says. "From vessel to end user, our product is government regulated, and records are matched with fishing logs to certify accountability.

"This provides accurate data for fishery scientists and managers to incorporate into their management models and policies."

For more information, visit the Norpac website at www.norpacexport.com, or call Norpac's Honolulu office at 808-842-3474.