After receiving many questions during our stakeholder engagement we would like to offer our best answers as deserved by our stakeholders. Please see our risk and strategy page for the addressing of major issues, how we plan to mitigate these risks and what our goals are in terms of the issues raised at the engagement.
Firstly, we would like to address the issue as raised by Save the Oceans on how we support sustainable fishing practices. This can also answer the queries of customers about bycatch and quality. Our main focus is on not over fishing as to not deplete our resources. To achieve this goal we do not participate in harmful practices such as bottom trolling which is banned. We have also recently shorten our longline soak time, to try and avoid bycatch and we have replaced our equipment to rather use circle hooks than J-hooks to try and only catch anchovies. The quality of the product is being ensured by properly bleeding the fish so that bacteria does not grow. We also try to limit bycatch by improving our gear to help them escape and ideally to not catch them, but if other animals should be caught we will immediately remove them from the catch and they will not be added to the product. Sustainability initiatives are also being planned to encourage other companies to support sustainable fishing.
Next, we would like to address the government that wanted to know how we will ensure that we have the right empowerment credentials to obtain the rights of the 2020 Fishing Rights Allocation Process by driving transformation in our company. To ensure that we receive these rights our administration will ensure that we paid all necessary fees and that our application is submitted at the correct time. We will also continuously check the Government Gazette for any further news about this. By making sure we are BEE compliant, using sustainable fishing practices and adopting the UN Global Compact we will be able to have transformation in our company and try to reach the company’s full potential.
The issue raised by our shareholders were that they wanted to know how we will stay on the forefront in using the newest technologies and what these technologies are. They also want to know how their dividends will be influenced if competitors should gain competitive advantage by using new technology. At the moment we are staying on the forefront by continuously doing research about new technology being released and by supplying continuously to customers to ensure a steady revenue stream so that we can afford new technology being released. These technologies include GPS, acoustic cameras, fishfinders and echo-sounders which makes it much easier to locate fish, especially big schools of fish.
Should competitors gain advantage, we will try to still ensure a good earnings per share ratio and dividends per share ratio, by trying to catch up as quickly as possible and by trying new customer bases to increase revenue. We will then also try to tap into markets that our competitors have not even yet considered and will possibly only decrease dividends to a minimal extent.
The working conditions as implored about by employees will immediately rectified and safety and health is of utmost importance. We will try to make improvements to the food, but we also urge employees to bring their own food if the food that is served does not meet their expectations. Unfortunately Wifi available on the ship will not be possible at the moment as we move quite deep into the ocean and usually lose contact with servers that can carry Wifi connectivity. Unfortunately, pets will not be allowed on ships as the quality and cleanliness of our products are always of the highest standard.
In answer of the Social Justice League we would like to announce that we will be adopting the UN Global Compact to fight against slave labor.
The local community can be assured that we are encouraging all unemployed workers to reach out to us, so that we can try to give them jobs on our fishing boats and administration. We however also encourage them to seek work at other local companies as well so that they can broaden their skill set and so that they can find a job that resonates with them. The possible pollution of the local estuary is being looked into and we are currently using biological methods to cleanse wastewater.
The last case we would like to address is that of our truck drivers causing harm to pedestrians. We can ensure the public that all drivers has been made aware of this issue and that they are under strict orders to adhere to the speed limit and to drive safely. The gentleman that raised this issue will be fully compensated and we hope that this will not happen again.
Should there be any other inquiries please feel free to let us know via email.
anchor@management.com
Anchor Management 