HIK believes that sustainability consists of three interlinked principles: environmental impacts, economic viability and social responsibility. In 2012, they were assessed by the Global Impact Investment Rating System (GIIRS) and scored an impressive 3 stars through the review process.
HIK regularly assesses all of their activities so that they continue to comply with the following certifications:
GlobalGAP
Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards for farmed abalone.
The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI)
HIK encourages sustainable aquaculture practices, as they understand the threat of overfishing and the drastic decline of marine biodiversity. They believe in promoting sustainability, eco-friendly practices and they advocate for responsible marine management and regulations.
Unemployment amongst communities historically dependent on fisheries has recently increased exponentially due to the global decline in fish stocks. Particularly in the Western Cape, the aquaculture sector offers employment to economically vulnerable communities to ensure the cycle of socio-economic issues is broken.
HIK Abalone Farm is committed to the betterment of their staff by investing in their education and training. They support the families of their employees, and offer social upliftment programmes provided by aquaculture companies to support and assist in the ongoing development of their community.
South Africa is one of the world’s top producers of abalone, exporting high-quality products of the endemic Haliotis midae or ‘perlemoen...