MSC certification a first for yellowfin tuna

The Mexico Baja California pole-and-line yellowfin and skipjack tuna fishery has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council certification, making it the world’s first MSC-certified yellowfin fishery.

The client for the year-round fishery is Productos Pesqueros de Matancitas S.A. de CV (PPM). The certificate covers two PPM-owned vessels, with the possibility of extension to other pole-and-line vessels licensed to fish yellowfin and skipjack in the area. The fishery is managed by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Ranching, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food under the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries of the Mexican government and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.

The two vessels harvested 379 metric tons of tuna in 2009. The catch is canned at PPM’s processing facility in Puerto Adolofo Lopez Mateos and marketed in Mexico.

“We hope to take full advantage of the benefits resulting from this certification, which will allow us to enter into selected markets that demand products originating from sustainable sources and fishing practices,” said Salvador Montes, PPM director. “Through the client action plan certain improvement actions were specified and we are committed to following through on these. We hope to prove that it is possible to conduct business within a framework that respects the environment and its natural resources while allowing for rational and equitable utilization, so that these resources will endure for future generations.”

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None