The Fiji Albacore Tuna Long Line fishery has been awarded Marine Stewardship Counncil (MSC) certification, the fourth fishery in the South Pacific and the first in Fiji to do so, according to an announcement from the MSC.
“The certification offers opportunities to develop new markets in regions where demand for certified sustainable seafood is already high,” said Russell Dunham, secretary of the Fiji Tuna Boart Owners Association and manager of the Fiji Fish Marketing Group. “MSC certification will help promote the Fiji domestic fishery, and also promote Fiji’s role in asserting albacore management measures as part of the conditions of certification.”
The MSC awarded the sustainability certification after an 18-month independent audit of Albacore tuna fishing practices by the fishery.
“The Fiji albacore tuna fishery is the first albacore long line fishery to demonstrate its sustainability credentials with an MSC certification,” said Patrick Caleo, MSC’s manager for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. “Tuna is one of the most popular species of fish, and now consumers can enjoy verified sustainable albacore from this Fiji fishery.”
The assessment measured, among other things, the health of the tuna stock in the fishery, the fishery’s strategy for harvest and the fishery’s long-term management strategy, which is designed to ensure the fishery remains sustainable in the future.
