Netherlands-based seafood importer Culimer plans to join the World Wildlife Fund as a stakeholder in a fishery improvement project (FIP) for in Vietnam tuna.
After Culimer successfully implemented a circle hook and data collection project in the fishery last year, which helped collect important catch data and reduce bycatch issues significantly, the FIP aims to improve deficiencies that will be identified in a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) pre-assessment study. The results of last year’s project will help form the basis for the FIP.
The project will focus on improving catch methods and data, tracking and tracing, and preservation methods to reduce post-harvest waste. The final goal is MSC certification of the Vietnam line caught big eye and yellowfin tuna.
A previous MSC pre-assessment study showed that considerable improvements have been achieved. Vietnam has become a cooperative non-member on the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission body that regulates the highly migratory tuna stocks in the West and Central Pacific, with the intention of becoming a full member.
“With data showing that yellowfin tuna stocks are in healthy condition, and big eye stocks not in overfished state (but overfishing is occurring), there is a realistic chance of seeing MSC certification in the coming years for line caught tuna from Vietnam,” said Martin Brugman, Culimer managing director. “A previous MSC pre-assessment study has identified the lack of resource data and region wide resource management as the most important sustainability issues of the Vietnamese tuna fishery that needed to be addressed. We welcome the governmental, NGO and industry efforts to join in the developments toward MSC certification.”
