Europêche member organisations have all described as disappointing the results of the recommendations adopted by ICCAT for tuna and other species, especially the shortfall in the bluefin tuna TAC that the industry had expected would be higher, based on positive scientific data.
Fishing industry figures have come away from the ICCAT meeting in Marrakesh disappointed at the decisions taken bluefin tuna, and especially the opposition by some member states and NGOs to moving from a recovery plan to a management plan.
The Spanish tuna fishing fleet remains one of the most receptive and active worldwide in adopting International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) best practices for mitigating by-catches, a commitment reflected in the Spanish fleet’s high attendance at these workshops each year and as stated in an ISSF Technical Report.
With the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) due to hold its annual meeting from 14 to 22 November, its scientific committee has just delivered its latest assessment on the status of the stocks of tunas in the Atlantic.
The Zamakona Shipyard has contracted to deliver a new tuna purse seiner to Bermeo company Echebastar, increasing the size of its distant water freezer purse seiner fleet to six vessels.
New Caledonia fishing company Navimon has placed an order with the Piriou yard for eight new longliners for delivery over the coming two years.
The Organisation of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC) has announced that it will develop a global standard to guarantee responsible fishing and the sustainability of the tropical tuna fishery. The organisation has launched this commitment during the Our Ocean conference, held this week in Malta, and pointed out that the standard will integrate both environmental and social sustainability, two inseparable pillars of ensuring the future of this resource on a global scale.
The Talley’s New Zealand skipjack tuna purse seine fishery, operated by Talley’s Group Limited, has been certified as sustainable. This is the eighth MSC certification in New Zealand and tips the scale, putting more than 50% of the country’s commercial catch under the MSC label
Sustainability and the fight against IUU fishing are today’s buzzwords, in distant waters such as as Equatorial Guinea, the Cook Islands and the Seychelles, where the Spanish tuna fleet operates, keeping track of vessel activity in real time has been boosted. The Organisation of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC) in conjunction with Satlink, recently presented the technology used on board their vessels at the headquarters of the Permanent Representation of Spain (REPER) in Brussels.
The Bluefin tuna fishing season in the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea and in the Adriatic Sea came to a close at 0800 on the 21st June for purse seiners, three days before the official closure on 24th June, after the season had been open since 26th May. Catch limits for bluefin tuna season were increased in 2017, as the stock showed continued signs of recovery.