Members of the Pêcheurs d’Aquitaine PO in France have joined forces with Spanish colleagues to have their sustainable fishing practices recognised as part of the North Atlantic Albacore Artisanal Fishery, which has been certified since 2016.
The result is the first joint French-Spanish certification. 47 of the 51 participating fishing vessels of the Aquitaine fleet use trolling lines to catch albacore tuna, while four larger vessels use pole-and-line with live bait. The albacore fishery mainly takes place inside the French EEZ in the Bay of Biscay during the summer months.
The fishery has been certified following a Bureau Veritas assessement that confirmed that the stock is in good health and is monitored by an RFMO, in this case ICCAT. The assessment also ocnformed that the gear used is highly selective, does not touch the seabed and that no interactions with threatened, endangered or protected species were noted.
This also confirmed that the management system is reliable, transparent and responsive. The French fishery is part of a multi-layered management system, at the international level by ICCAT and the European Commission, and at both national and PO level, with the PO supporting its members in the strict application of the regulations and implements additional management measures.
Under the terms of maintaining its certification, the Aquitaine albacore tuna fishery has committed, before the end of 2026, to implementing specific management objectives aimed at ensuring that there is no interaction with protected species.
Albacore tuna are landed in Capbreton, Saint Jean de Luz, Hendaye, Lège Cap Ferret, Bayonne and Mimizan and also in Spain (Pasajes). The majority of volumes are sold through the auctions of St Jean de Luz/Ciboure, Pasajes and Arcachon.
