Tuna fisheries fail FOS certification

Friend of the Sea on Monday announced that 17 Indonesian longline vessels fishing for yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean have been audited and failed to obtain certification. In addition, a major Korean tuna longline fleet also failed to meet the FOS sustainability requirements.

In both cases, no vessels have independent onboard observer programs, resulting in a lack of reliable data available about discards or the implementation of bycatch reduction methods.

The practice of shark fining of up to five sharks per fishing trip has also been confirmed in some of the Korean vessels.

“It’s a shame that marine species is at risk of extinction for a bowl of soup,” said Paolo Bray, FOS executive director. “President Obama has taken an important step by signing the Shark Conservation Act in January of this year. Other countries should now follow his example.”

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