FCF Fishery, Tuna supplier in Western Pacific, granted Marine Stewardship Council Certification
by Margie M. Newman 30 Jun 2018 21:13 PDT
A FCF MSC-certified vessel © FCAF Fishery Company
FCF Fishery Company (FCF) and the Western Pacific Sustainable Tuna Alliance announced today that the Western and Central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free school purse seine fishery has been granted Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard for Sustainable Fishing certification. The certification decision was determined by third party certifier, SCS Global.
Free school fishing is considerably more sustainable than traditional fishing practices, resulting in less bycatch and thereby substantially reducing the impact on endangered species.
"We have chosen to pursue MSC certification to contribute to the growing demand, expectation and responsibility towards sustainable management of our fisheries to provide sustainably sourced tuna from the Pacific, which provides 50% of the world's skipjack tuna supply," said FCF Fishery president Max Chou.
MSC is recognized as one of the world's most rigorous and credible, science-based assessments of sustainability for wild-caught fish, and requires that all certified product caught in certified fisheries can be identified and traced throughout the supply chain. MSC conducts periodic DNA tests to ensure seafood bearing the MSC blue ecolabel of approval can be traced back to a certified fishery.
"Tuna is an important source of protein for many nations and as a highly migratory species, management can often be a challenge. The certification of the WPSTA Western and Central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free school purse seine fishery demonstrates positive collaboration between these leading fishing nations and a commitment to the sustainability of this ocean resource," MSC Oceania Program Director Anne Gabriel said in a recent statement.
Currently, close to 30 FCF-associated fishing vessels are now poised for MSC certification, with more fishing vessels to follow. Over time, this could make way for more than 100,000 metric tons of MSC-certified tuna to the global market.
"We believe our efforts to improve sustainability within the seafood industry is, essentially, an investment in the future of the industry itself," Chou said. "The MSC project shows the dedication of FCF in preserving long-lasting marine resources for generations to come."