Chinese fishing company Pingtan Marine Enterprise has been granted approval by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for 27 vessels to operate in international waters. Following refits and upgrades, the 27 vessels are expected to operate in the Indian Ocean.
Cefas and the University of Exeter are working to track bluefin tuna and confirm reports that these fish that were once a common sight in the North Sea and Celtic Sea are returning to British waters. In recent years they have been observed more frequently in or coastal waters, particularly during the late summer, autumn and winter as they move into coastal areas to feed on energy-rich fish, such as sprats and herring.
Of the total tuna catch in 2016, 78% came from stocks judged to be at healthy levels, unchanged since last reported, according to a February 2018 International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. Skipjack tuna stocks, at healthy levels in all ocean regions, constituted more than one-half of the 2016 total catch.
The Spanish tuna fleet will invest €3 million this year in its Fishery Improvement Project developed in conjunction with WWF. This brings the level of investment to the FIP, launched in 2017, to a total of €12 million. The objective is to achieve MSC certification for all of its catches by 2021.
Following an objection in the reassessment of the PNA skipjack tuna fishery, an independent adjudicator has confirmed the third party conformity assessment body (CAB) decision that the PNA skipjack tuna fishery continues to meet the MSC’s Standard for sustainable fishing. Of 24 challenges to individual scoring issues within the objection, none were upheld.
A small group of pelagic longline fishing vessel owners will take a six-month voluntary break, but will continue to fish with alternative gear, improving populations and supporting supply chains as NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation kicked off 2018 with the second round of the Oceanic Fish Restoration Project.
Only six out of 19 major commercial tuna stocks are being managed to avoid overfishing and restore depleted fish populations because the majority of the stocks are not protected by well-defined RFMO harvest control rules (HCRs), according to a report published by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).
Ishihara Marine Products Co Ltd has entered its pole-and-line skipjack and albacore tuna fisheries for assessment against the MSC Fisheries Standard. The Ishihara company's pole-and-line vessels caught 1780 tonnes of skipjack and albacore tuna in 2016.
A tuna Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for the Eastern Atlantic Ocean has been formally launched, with the signing of a FIP agreement and approval of an action plan between 17 organisations. The FIP will work towards meeting the fisheries sustainability standard set by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye, Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has launched a pilot study on biodegradable Fish Aggregating Devices.