Australia’s Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF) has been recertified for the third time to the MSC standard. This continues more than ten years of third-party certification.
The certificate covers yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore tuna and swordfish, and complements Tuna Australia’s MSC-certified southern bluefin tuna.
‘It reflects the considerable work undertaken by industry to maintain the management, monitoring, reporting and sustainability standards that underpin the fishery,’ said Tuna Australia CEO David Ellis.
‘With more retailers and consumers turning to sustainable seafood, our members are in a strong position to access and expand markets here in Australia and abroad.’
The ETBF extends along Australia’s east coast, from Cape York to waters around Tasmania. The fishery includes waters in several Australian Marine Parks, including the 1-million-square-kilometre Coral Sea Marine Park and Lord Howe Marine Park. Currently, 24 ETBF fishing vessels hold the MSC certificate and are Tuna Australia members.
David Ellis said the recertification shows how commercial fishing and marine conservation can work together, and validates that fishers are guardians of the ocean and that fishing in marine parks can be done responsibly. The ETBF is managed under a strict quota system, with each operator holding or leasing a share of the total allowable catch.
‘The government has set a strict quota system. Each operator has a share of the total allowable catch based on how much quota they own, or lease in from other fishers,’ he said.
The recertification was issued by independent assessment body bio.inspecta.
‘We assessed the ETBF against the MSC Fisheries Standard to ensure it meets requirements relating to sustainable fish stocks, minimal environmental impact, and a responsive management system,’ said Sascha Brand-Gardner, Program Manager MSC Fisheries, bio.inspecta.
‘bio.inspecta is delighted to confirm the re-certification of ETBF, showing it is a well-managed and sustainable fishery.’
‘Getting certified is a milestone. Staying certified is the bigger story, because stewardship is what happens in all the years that follow,’ commented MSC Program Director Oceania & Singapore Anne Gabriel.
‘More than a decade after first achieving MSC certification, these fishers continue to trust in the science and open themselves to independent scrutiny. There is no finish line in sustainable fishing. Fish stocks and ocean conditions change, science advances and our understanding improves,” she said.
‘Annual surveillance and five-yearly reassessments mean fisheries must respond to that evidence, adapt where needed and demonstrate that their management remains fit for the future. Australia has much to be proud of in the way its fisheries are managed, and achievements like this never belong to one organisation alone. Tuna Australia and its members deserve enormous credit for doing exactly that.’
