According to the certification body, I:FQC Ltd WFOA North Pacific albacore tuna fisheries has entered full assessment to acquire MSC certificate. The species to be assessed is albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga). It is said that initially I:FQC seeks to open a dialogue with all organisations or individuals with a direct interest in the fishery.
It is now open for public comments inviting individual opinion over the assessment process (relevant to the status of the stock, ecosystem interactions or fishery management practices). The location of the fishery is United States EEZ and North Pacific and the fishing methods used are troll & jig and pole & line.
About the management of the fishery it is said that when fishing in International waters, the albacore tuna fishery occurs within the jurisdictions of both the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the Western and Central Pacific Ocean Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
It is added that these international commissions have similar objectives, focused on maintaining the long-term sustainability of the resource within an ecosystem approach to management, preventing overfishing and applying the precautionary approach when data are uncertain.
It is said that the fishery is under domestic management when operating within the United States EEZ. This management is undertaken by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Pacific Fishery Management Council has implemented a fishery management plan for US West Coast fisheries for highly migratory specie which establishes goals and objectives for management and defines regulatory actions, if needed.
The main commercial market for this fishery is the blast bled frozen and canned market. Catch from the inshore fleet is sold into the canned and blast bled tuna markets. The assessment process is expected to take 11 months and is scheduled for completion in or around December 2009.
