The Western and Central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free-school purse-seine fishery has achieved Marine Stewardship Council certification.
The certification process was led by the San Diego, California, U.S.A –based South Pacific Tuna Corporation (SPTC) and FCF Fishery Co. of Taiwan. The move by MSC adds a huge new supply of sustainably-certified tuna into the supply chain of Pacifical, the primary marketer of tuna caught in the waters overseen by Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), a collective of eight Pacific Island nations.
“Tuna is an important source of protein for many nations and as a highly migratory species, management can often be a challenge. The certification of the WPSTA Western and Central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free-school purse-seine fishery demonstrates positive collaboration between these leading fishing nations and a commitment to the sustainability of this ocean resource,” MSC Oceania Program Director Anne Gabriel said in a press release.
Currently, vessels from the U.S.A, China, and Taiwan are operating in the fishery. SCS Global, which served as the third-party accreditor for MSC, confirmed that the practices on-board the 29 vessels in the FCF fleet and SPTC’s 12 vessels meet with MSC standards for sustainable fishing of skipjack and yellowfin tuna within in the exclusive economic zones of PNA countries as well as the high seas.
“We have chosen to pursue MSC certification to contribute to the growing demand, expectation, and responsibility towards sustainable management of our fisheries to provide sustainably sourced tuna from the Pacific, which provides 50 percent of the world’s skipjack tuna supply,” FCF Fishery President Max Chou said in the release. “We believe our efforts to improve sustainability within the seafood industry is, essentially, an investment in the future of the industry itself. The MSC project shows the dedication of FCF in preserving long-lasting marine resources for generations to come.”
Both FCF and SPTC have been leading participants in the Pacifical supply chain since its inception in 2015 and will continue to provide MSC-certified fish under Pacifical’s global program, SPTC said in a press release. The move could add as much as 100,000 metric tons of MSC-certified tuna into the global marketplace, according to South Pacific Tuna Corp Vice President of Environmental Development and Government Affairs Ray Clarke.
“This certification is an important step we have worked diligently to meet the standards of MSC’s three principles, and are proud to be the leader in driving sustainable practices, as well as establishing a standard that exceeds that of the NGO community,” Clarke said.
Clarke said the certification is the “culmination of four years of effort to establish a complete protocol from harvest criteria to chain of custody parameters that ensure rigid sustainable standards as part of the MSC certification process.”
“It is also a resounding confirmation to the health of the fishery stocks as mandated by MSC under the harvest standards,” he said. “The MSC Chain of Custody standard requires that all certified product caught in certified fisheries can be identified and traced throughout the supply chain.”
The certification will not have an impact on the decision of U.S.A.-based AFT Holdings to withdraw its direct investment in the U.S.-flagged fleet of ocean-going tuna seiners, a decision announced in April 2018.
AFT Holdings is the largest shareholder of The Global Companies, which operates the South Pacific Tuna Corporation. According to AFT spokesperson Margie Newman, AFT Chairman J. Douglas Hines remains the executive director of SPTC as well as an active member of its board of directors, but has withdrawn his investment in the fleet, which is now owned “by a group of U.S. operators and investors,” Newman said.
While SPTC is “seriously considering” changing its flag allegiance to another country, the company is committed to retaining MSC certification for its fleet.
“The certification remains with the vessel, regardless of the ownership or country flag it sails under,” Newman told SeafoodSource. “Even with Doug’s exit, the core value of the commitment to sustainability and caring for the marine environment will remain.”
Photo courtesy of the South Pacific Tuna Corporation
