BENELUX: MSC Canned Tuna Snapshot 2021

The Benelux region has shown a significant increase in MSC-ecolabel awareness. The Netherlands’ 2nd and 3rd largest retailers introduced MSC Certified canned tuna under private Label,  and Belgium has witnessed a retailer switch its entire private label assortment to MSC. The PNA MSC certified fishery and our Pacifical partners have played a key role in many of these market introductions.

Despite COVID-19, Pacifical has been closely observing and supporting the recent developments in this markets with great interest. We thought you would find it interesting to learn about them, so we summarized it in a snapshot.

Click here to access the BENELUX MSC canned tuna 2021 snapshot.

PNA Nations Seek Scope Extension of Their MSC Certification

The Marine Stewardship Council has published an Advanced Consultation Document Report (ADCR) on the scope extension of our PNA Western and Central Pacific skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna purse seine fishery. The ADCR was submitted by Lloyd’s Register, PNA’s Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). The report focuses on extending the scope of the assessment from exclusively being a free school fishery to now include sets of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

This principle change was forced on the PNA nations after pressure by certain market parties and NGO’s which demanded an end to compartmentalization. This led to a change in the MSC rules that now require the PNA MSC certified fishery to include not only free school sets, but also FAD sets, so in effect the whole ecosystem. The effective date of this new MSC requirement begins on 25 March, 2023.

The ACDR, which also includes an extension of our unit of assessment to cover bigeye tuna, tentatively recommends that our purse seiner fishery should advance to full assessment.

Lloyd’s Register recognizes the health and status of the tuna stocks in our PNA waters are not subject to overfishing, however considering the extension, Lloyd’s has set a number of scoring issues to be addressed.

The Assessment is recommending that PNA implements a FAD management strategy. FADs within our area are identified by the assessors Rob Blyth Skyrme & Kevin McLoughlin as having ‘moderate’ impacts on coastal habitats, especially vulnerable coral reefs.

PNA fully supports and welcomes this condition on FAD management, as they have for some time been  in the process of establishing an innovative and comprehensive FAD registration and monitoring scheme along with initiatives to reduce the impact of FAD beaching. This includes an end to the use of traditional FADs, and the utilization of lesser entangling FADS, with a timely transition to biodegradable FADs. This route is being  taken by PNA and will occur with or without the support of other member countries within the WCPFC.

PNA has been a pioneer in FAD tracking since 2016, and with funding received from of the Pew Charitable Trust, and the support of SPC, it has been possible to determine the rate of FAD beachings, which largely occur in Solomon Islands, PNG and Kiribati. PNA had previously commissioned work into assessing the environmental and economic impact of FADs.

Along with harvest strategies for skipjack and yellowfin, the strategy will be extended to include bigeye tuna. All Pacific fisheries are required to have a harvest  strategy for all tuna species in place by June 2022. PNA has worked hard on developing a strategy for skipjack, as a priority, but unfortunately progress and countless attempts to advance the process towards adopting a global Pacific strategy have been blocked by Distant Water Fishing Nations such as Japan and the USA.

PNA already had its own control mechanism in place in the EEZs of PNA members , through the highly successful Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) and annual reviews limit the program based on the requirements set by WCPFC to limit the total tuna fishing effort to 2010 levels. PNA will remain firm towards adopting harvests strategies in its waters, with or without the support of other nations.

Another matter addressed in the report is the issue of shark interactions. PNA has a ban on shark finning and strict rules that apply to shark retention, all closely monitored by our 100% on-board observer program. Whilst this program has suffered in 2020 due to COVID 19, the PNA has still managed to maintain an observer coverage rate of up to 30%, which is well above the standard advised by SPC. Noting observer coverage is currently not a MSC requirement. ,  The assessors also identified the need to protect manta and mobulid rays, and this condition will be met with the implementation of a specific new WCPFC  conservation measure that will come into effect early in 2021, and this complements recommended on-board handling practices already in place. You can find and view the ADCR report here: https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/pna-western-and-central-pacific-skipjack-yellowfin-and-bigeye-tuna-purse-seine-fishery-fad-and-non-fad-sets/@@assessments

Pacifical Partners With Global Tuna Alliance

Pacifical today becomes the latest partner in the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), an independent group of retailers and tuna supply chain companies, who are committed to realising the maintenance of healthy tuna stocks, avoidance of IUU products, improved traceability as well as environmental sustainability, and progressing work on human rights in tuna fisheries.

Pacifical c.v. is the global tuna market development company jointly set up by the 8 Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Western Pacific island countries[1] and Sustunable bv in 2011. Pacifical’s goal is to promote the catch, production, distribution and marketing of the MSC certified sustainable free school skipjack and yellowfin tuna caught within PNA waters. Pacifical products are recognizable by the MSC eco-label and the Pacifical Geographical Indication.

Henk Brus, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Pacifical envisions maintaining a rich and healthy Pacific Ocean: An ocean that continues to be a source of well–being and livelihood for the PNA people, and our planet as a whole. We envision a future with constant supply of sustainable, nutritious, healthy, fully traceable, and affordable tuna proteins to the growing global population. Working with the GTA will help us achieve our shared goals”

Dr Tom Pickerell, Executive Director at the Global Tuna Alliance, said: “We are excited to welcome Pacifical to the Partnership. Together, PNA has about 25% of the world’s tuna catch , 50% of skipjack harvest and PNA’s free school skipjack and yellowfin purse seine fishery has been certified as being sustainable against the MSC standard since the 13th of December 2011. Pacifical will greatly strengthen the GTA’s voice going forward.”

[1] The 8 PNA countries that Pacifical represent are: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu plus the participating territory of Tokelau.