The OPAGAC grouping of tuna vessel operators is aiming to be using 40% biodegradeable materials in its FADs by the end of this year.
OPAGAC has been putting a great deal of effort into improving the sustainability of the FADs its vessels uses, and by the end of last year had already achieved a 20% proportion of biodegradeable materials, which had risen to 28.59% by mid-2024.
The data has been made public at two meetings held in June in Bermeo and Santiago de Compostela, which were attended by 36 crew members from OPAGAC member companies and in which the results of the Innovative Measures for the Construction of FADs with Biodegradable Material project were presented.
The meetings have served as platforms to discuss the challenges currently posed by the objective of achieving a 100% biodegradable FAD, including the availability of bio and alternative materials, as well as the costs associated with their manufacturing processes. OPAGAC has also paid attention to the recommendations of the RFMOs on this matter.
Concerning the difficulty of obtaining biodegradable materials, and taking into account the specifics of the different geographical areas in which the fleet operates, a number of suppliers were identified during the meeting. The OPAGAC fleet has already sourced new bio-materials through these suppliers, which have been incorporated into the manufacturing process and have replaced traditional materials.
In order to verify the acquisition of these materials and their correct incorporation into the manufacture of these devices, the tuna fleet carries out independent audits that analyse compliance with methodologies and protocols, and monitors the manufacture and use of FADs made with biodegradable materials . To date, the fleet has carried out 39 audits in ports in the three oceans in which it operates.
‘The Spanish tuna fleet is leading the research and development of biodegradable FADs on a global scale , with the development of pilot projects in the three oceans, specifically, in the Indian Ocean since 2017, in the Pacific since 2019 and in the Atlantic since 2022,’ an OPAGAC representative stated.
‘These projects make it possible to evaluate the viability of these biodegradable FADs for concentrating tuna under real-life conditions and to analyse their drift patterns with the aim of minimising their interaction with vulnerable marine ecosystems.’
