North Pacific Albacore Fisheries Earn MSC Certification

Two North Pacific albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) fisheries operating in U.S., Canadian and international waters have been awarded certification under the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) program for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.  Products from the fisheries will now be eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel recognizing seafood from well-managed and sustainable sources.

The Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation (CHMSF) troll/jig fishery and the U.S.-based Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) troll/jig and pole/line fisheries were the clients for the assessments which took place simultaneously.  Their tuna fishing vessels operate from the coastal waters of California north to British Columbia and across the North Pacific nearly to the coast of Japan.

The North Pacific albacore tuna fishing season runs from May through October.  The combined catch for these fisheries is between 15,000 and 20,000 metric tons.  Preliminary 2009 reports show the British Columbia fleet harvest at about 5,450 metric tons and U.S. troll and pole landings at 11,580 metric tons.   Approximately 60 percent of the tuna from these fisheries goes to Asia and Europe with 10 percent to U.S. canning companies.  The remaining 30 percent is sold into U.S. and Canadian markets for domestic consumption.  Albacore tuna is marketed as fresh, fresh-frozen and canned product with canned product accounting for the majority of the catch.

“Since the beginning of this fishery, members of the Canadian North Pacific albacore tuna industry have strived to carry out and support sustainable fishing practices,” said Lorne Clayton, executive director of the CHMSF.  “Following the development of the CHMSF Quality Assurance Program in 2003, our industry’s considerable efforts toward sustainable fishing have been recognized by such environmental Organizations as Ocean Wise, Sea Choice, and Seafood Watch and we are now proud to have achieved the independent verification, through the MSC, that our CHMSF Pacific Albacore fishery meets the MSC’s rigorous sustainability definition.”

“Having achieved this certification against the MSC’s rigorous standards will assure consumers that they are buying a sustainable seafood product,” said Wayne Heikkila, executive director of WFOA. “Members of the Western Fishboat Owners Association have long known that this was a sustainably managed fishery but having it successfully reviewed by a third party against the certification standard now provides us a great opportunity to promote our albacore tuna to local consumers as MSC certified.”

“Market demand for MSC-certified tuna is high,” said Kerry Coughlin, the Americas regional director for MSC.  “Successful completion of the assessment process by these two fisheries will be welcome news to buyers committed to sourcing from fisheries that meet the MSC standard.   We congratulate CHMSF and WFOA on their certification and commitment to sustainability.”

The independent, third-party full assessments were conducted by Global Trust Certification.  The fisheries were assessed against the three principles of the MSC standard: the status of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem and the management system overseeing the fishery. As with all MSC-certified fisheries, these fisheries will undergo annual surveillance audits. More information about the North Pacific albacore tuna fisheries can be found on the MSC’s website in the Track a Fishery section at www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/certified.

source: MSC press release

Public Sessions to Guide Drafting of New Aquaculture Policy

NOAA will hold six listening sessions in April and May to hear recommendations from the public that will help the agency develop a new national policy for sustainable marine aquaculture.


Dates for the listening sessions with NOAA officials are as follows:


April 14 in Narragansett, R.I.

April 19 in New Orleans, La.

April 22 in Seattle

April 27 in Honolulu

April 29 in Menlo Park, Calif.

May 6 a national call-in hosted by NOAA on a toll-free line



Details on the specific locations and times for the regional listening sessions and instructions for submitting comments electronically will be posted on the NOAA Aquaculture Program Web site http://aquaculture.noaa.gov. The agency also will accept public comment through the Web.

After the listening sessions, NOAA will analyze the public input and develop a draft national policy for review and public comment. Once that process is complete, the agency will issue the new NOAA aquaculture policy. NOAA’s goal is to issue a new national policy that will enable sustainable marine aquaculture within the context of the agency’s multiple ocean stewardship missions and broader social and economic goals.

source: NOAA press release

South African Hake Trawl Achieves Re-certification

Hake from the South African trawl fishery will continue to carry the Marine Stewardship Council eco-label after successfully completing its five year re-assessment against the MSC standard.

The trawl fishery comprises the inshore sector, which targets predominantly shallow water hake (Merluccius capensis) on South Africa’s South Coast, and the offshore sector, which targets mostly deep water hake (M. paradoxus), on fishing grounds extending from the Namibian border southwards along the Alguhas fringe.

The South African hake-directed trawl fishery developed in the early 1900’s and peaked in the early 1970’s. A conservative management strategy since the early 1980’s has led to a gradual recovery in catch rates. Stock rebuilding efforts are ongoing.

Export Ban on Bluefin Tuna Rejected

A working group of the 175th-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has rejected petitions by Monaco and the European Union to list bluefin tuna as an endangered species.

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) commented, "From the outset I have opposed this misguided policy, and I applaud today's decision to reject proposals to list bluefin tuna under Appendix I of CITES. Approval of this listing would have had crippling effects on the U.S. bluefin tuna fishery, and institutionalized a perverse incentive by effectively punishing countries like the U.S. that attempt to impose responsible domestic fisheries management"

Scottish Atlanto Scandian Herring Fishery Gains MSC certification

The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group’s (SPSG) Atlanto-Scandian herring fishery has been certified as a sustainable and well-managed fishery under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard.  Herring taken from this fishery are now eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel.

SPSG pelagic trawlers, fitted with the latest refrigerated seawater tank systems, catch Atlanto-Scandian herring over a large area of the northeast Atlantic.  The UK has a quota of 20,600 tonnes for 2010, which is around 1.4% of the Total Allowable Catch for the Atlanto-Scandian herring stock. Much of this is taken in February, the main fishing season, with the remainder caught in the autumn.

Carrying an MSC ecolabel is an important marketing tool and allows SPSG members to compete on a level playing field with other countries’ products, particularly Norway and Denmark. Key markets for Atlanto-Scandian herring are Russia, Ukraine and China.

source: MSC press release