South Pacific Tuna Corporation announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to supply tuna that meets Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards. The corporation partnered with PNAO/Pacifical, the marketing branch of the Pacific Island Nations known as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).
“This MOU makes us the first among the U.S. Distant Water Tuna Fleet to make a public commitment to sustainable fishing practices as certified by the Marine Stewardship Council—including effective management and minimal environmental impact,” said J. Douglas Hines, executive director at South Pacific Tuna Corp. and Global Fleets partner. “It is not only a commitment to the PNA Countries, but to their customers and consumers throughout the world. This is truly a first step in creating an Ocean to Table project.”
The MOU underscores the company’s commitment to maintaining sustainability standards while harvesting tuna from PNA island waters. South Pacific Tuna Corp. oversees management and operations of 14 U.S. Flag tuna vessels owned by “The Global Fleets,” Ocean Global Fisheries LLC, Sea Global Fisheries LLC and Pacific Global LLC.
“The Global Fleets have long-embraced sustainable fishing practices in action, rather than just theory,” Hines said.
He added the MOU isn’t a result of NGO agency action is instead a commitment to providing conservation standards in tuna supplied through the PNA nations supply chain.
“Hopefully, more members of the Distant Water Tuna Fleet will adopt similar sustainability practices and together work toward a sustainable fish stock and diverse ecosystem,” Hines said.
“As world leaders in tuna conservation and management, this is a great development,” said Maurice Brownjohn, commercial manager of PNA fisheries. “We look forward to working closely with The Global Fleets in promoting tuna that is sustainably harvested in our waters to ensure that we will have a continued supply for future generations.”
