International Pole And Line Foundation

What International Pole And Line Foundation does

The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF) is a UK-registered charity (Charity 1145586) founded in 2012 that works to develop, support, and promote socially and environmentally responsible one-by-one tuna fisheries (pole-and-line, handline, and troll) worldwide. The organization operates through a global membership network comprising commercial companies, large retailers, seafood brands, food services, civil society organisations, and industry associations, and serves as the de facto coordinator and policy advocate for the one-by-one tuna segment, with active engagement in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (IOTC, ICCAT, WCPFC) and UNCTAD observer status. Its program portfolio includes the Sourcing Transparency Platform (STP), a 'world-first' online traceability platform launched in 2022 that publicly maps one-by-one tuna supply chains; the Fisheries Improvement Toolbox (FIT); the Ghost Net Retrieval Project in the Maldives (launched 2020 with the Olive Ridley Project); the world's first plastic-neutral fishery certification achieved in the Azores (2022); and the Solar Ice Maker (SIM) innovation deployed in 2024 to provide renewable cold-chain infrastructure to remote fishers.

IPNLF's business model is non-commercial and not equity-funded. Revenue derives from two streams: recurring membership fees from supply-chain participants, and donations and grants from government agencies, foundations (e.g., UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge, GIZ), and philanthropic donors. The organization has no publicly disclosed pricing for membership tiers and operates with a small, globally distributed remote team supported by an expanded Board of Trustees and advisory committees (STAC and MAG). It maintains operational offices in the UK (Cumnor Hill, Oxford), Indonesia (Sanur, Denpasar), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), and South Africa (Die Boord, Stellenbosch area).

Operationally, IPNLF delivers value through practical on-the-water fishery improvement projects, supply-chain implementation support for member businesses, policy advocacy on behalf of small-scale fishers, and consumer-facing awareness work (including the award-winning Tuna Tales documentary series produced with National Geographic photographer Pepe Brix). Quantified impact includes facilitating MSC certification of 11,000 tonnes of Indonesian yellowfin and skipjack tuna across 380 vessels, enabling fishers to triple income through Solar Ice Maker cold-chain improvements, and supporting the Azores fishery to achieve plastic-neutral status. It serves as a hybrid-segment organization addressing both ends of the supply chain — small-scale fisheries in developing geographies (Indonesia, Maldives, Cape Verde, Sri Lanka, Oman, St Helena, Vietnam, Kenya, Brazil) and large enterprise buyers in developed markets (UK, Switzerland, France, Spain, Japan, USA).

Name

International Pole And Line Foundation

Legal name

International Pole and Line Foundation

Website

https://ipnlf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Conservation

NAICS

Finfish Fishing (114111)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

Keywords

• Sustainable tuna fisheries
• Pole and line fishing
• Fishery improvement programs
• Seafood supply chain transparency
• Small-scale fisheries support

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IPNLF membership is open to organisations involved in the one-by-one caught tuna supply chain including commercial companies, retailers, seafood brands, food services, civil society organisations and associations.
2. Donations and Grants: As a registered UK charity (Charity 1145586), IPNLF receives donations and grants from various organisations including government agencies, foundations, and philanthropic donors to fund projects and initiatives.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IPNLF develops, supports, and promotes socially and environmentally responsible one-by-one tuna fisheries (pole-and-line, handline, and troll) worldwide through a membership-based charity model. Its core offerings include the Sourcing Transparency Platform for supply chain traceability, the Fisheries Improvement Toolbox for member support, fishery improvement projects in coastal communities, policy advocacy at Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, and field innovations such as the Solar Ice Maker and Ghost Net Retrieval Project.

Product overview

IPNLF is a UK-registered charity (not a technology company) that operates several interconnected programs and platforms to support sustainable one-by-one tuna fisheries. The core offerings include the Sourcing Transparency Platform (STP) for supply chain traceability, the Fisheries Improvement Toolbox (FIT) for member support, and various initiatives like the Ghost Net Retrieval Project and Plastic Neutrality Project. The organization also produces the Tuna Tales documentary series to raise awareness. Most recently, IPNLF has deployed the Solar Ice Maker innovation to improve cold chain infrastructure for small-scale fishers. These products and initiatives work together to promote environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic viability in coastal fishing communities worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sourcing Transparency Platform (STP): An online platform that drives greater transparency in one-by-one tuna supply chains, publicly promoting the responsible sourcing practices of businesses supporting one-by-one tuna fisheries.
• Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Project
• Tuna Tales
• Fisheries Improvement Toolbox (FIT)

Products and services

• Sourcing Transparency Platform (STP) A world-first online platform that publicly promotes the responsible sourcing practices of businesses supporting one-by-one tuna fisheries, allowing consumers and buyers to trace exactly where their tuna comes from and how it was caught. Targeted at commercial tuna supply chain companies, retailers, brands, and food service operators seeking verifiable supply chain transparency.
• Fisheries Improvement Toolbox (FIT)

Quantifiable outcome

• Fishers can nearly triple their income with solar ice maker technology due to higher-grade tuna
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• WFO (World Fisheries Organisation)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2022Strategic partnership announced in March 2022 to strengthen collaboration on sustainable fisheries advocacy and policy work.
• Olive Ridley Project (ORP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to jointly tackle lost and abandoned fishing gear in the Maldives. Both organisations work to collect ghost nets from the ocean using one-by-one fishing vessels, assess destruction caused to marine life, and implement turtle disentanglement practices. The partnership includes data collection on ghost net sources and evidence of impacts from polluting fisheries.
• Joanna Toole FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPNLF received the inaugural Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Award in January 2020, enabling the launch of the Ghost Net Retrieval Project in the Maldives. The project incentivises Maldivian fishers to collect ghost nets they encounter during fishing operations and upcycle them.
• Sea Observatory of the Azores (OMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Plastic Neutrality Project launched for the Azores fishery, along with POPA Observer, IMAR, APASA, and Federação das Pescas dos Açores (FPA) to achieve plastic-neutral certification.
• Women's Development Committee (WDC) of GemanafushicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal women's committee takes part in processing and upcycling collected ghost fishing gear into products that can be sold for profit to the local tourism industry as part of the circular economy approach.
• AP2HI (Indonesian Pole and Line and Handline Fisheries Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal industry body collaborating with IPNLF on fishery improvement projects to enable Indonesian pole-and-line and handline tuna fisheries to meet the MSC standard for environmental sustainability.
• MDPI (Masyarakat dan Perencanaan Indonesia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian NGO focused on the livelihoods of small-scale and artisanal fishermen, collaborating on fishery improvement projects and MSC certification processes.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Solar Ice Maker project in Indonesia through the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge, supporting renewable energy innovations in small-scale fisheries.
• UNDP Ocean Innovation ChallengemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and partner for the solar-powered ice maker project supporting rural fishers with sustainable cold storage, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• AIREF (Azores International Renewable Energy Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in solar-powered ice maker innovation project contributing to renewable energy solutions for small-scale fisheries.
• Earthworm FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration strengthened in French tuna markets to promote sustainable sourcing practices and supply chain improvements.
• SHARKPROJECT InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint statement issued on protecting marine species and advocating for sustainable fishing practices.
• World Cetacean AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU signed to collaborate on protecting cetaceans and promoting sustainable fisheries.
• Fish TalescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCommitted to implementing and maintaining Indonesia's first and only pole-and-line Fair Trade certified fishery in Bitung through a 3-year MoU.
• Seafood SouqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to demonstrate a new global source of sashimi grade yellowfin tuna from Omani fishers.
• ZealcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to transform sea safety and traceability through solar-powered tracker devices for small-scale fishers.
• Fishery Associations (Maldives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking alongside fishery associations to ensure one-by-one fisheries are considered in policy-making and have an equal voice to large-scale fisheries.

Scale indicators9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI): GGGI is a cross-sector alliance tackling abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear. IPNLF's Ghost Net Retrieval Project with Olive Ridley Project is a competing/collaborative initiative in the same ghost gear solution space.
• Fair Trade USA (Seafood): Fair Trade USA certifies socially responsible seafood supply chains, including Indonesia pole-and-line tuna through the partnership with Fish Tales referenced in IPNLF's network. Comparable in combining social responsibility and traceability for coastal fisheries.

Direct peers

• Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI): GSSI is a multi-stakeholder benchmark and partnership that recognises credible seafood certification schemes. It is structurally comparable to IPNLF in convening retailers, NGOs, and industry to align on sustainable tuna sourcing.
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC): ASC is a leading sustainability certification for farmed seafood and is increasingly active on responsibly sourced tuna. Like IPNLF, it engages retailers, brands, and producers to drive certified sustainable seafood to market.
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): MSC is the leading global sustainable seafood certification body for wild-capture fisheries, including tuna. IPNLF's MSC certification outcomes (11,000 tonnes, 380 vessels) are awarded by MSC, and both organisations serve overlapping supply-chain and retail buyer audiences.
• Friend of the Sea: Friend of the Sea certifies sustainable fisheries and aquaculture products, including tuna. It competes directly with IPNLF's mission to certify and promote responsibly caught seafood for global retailers and food service operators.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: Seafood Watch is a consumer and buyer-facing sustainable seafood guidance programme covering tuna. It shapes retailer and food service procurement decisions that overlap with IPNLF's buyer-engagement focus.
• Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP): SFP is an NGO that engages seafood suppliers and retailers in fishery improvement projects, including tuna. It overlaps with IPNLF's fisheries improvement toolbox, supply chain engagement, and corporate membership-driven model.

Others

• Earthworm Foundation: Earthworm Foundation is a non-profit working on responsible supply chains, including French tuna markets with IPNLF. It is a comparable NGO partner with overlapping retailer engagement but a broader commodity scope beyond seafood.

Broad incumbents

• WWF Seafood Programme: WWF is a global conservation organisation with a major sustainable seafood programme that engages retailers, certifiers, and RFMOs. It is a larger incumbent operating in the same sustainable tuna policy and advocacy space as IPNLF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IPNLF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCukQq7TSI-lz9tYj0YaaX0A
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalPoleAndLineFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-pole-and-line-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ipnlf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Pole And Line Foundation