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Photo: courtesy ANABAC
ANABAC achieves MarineStewardship Council certification for Atlantic Ocean yellowfin tuna
(SPAIN, 7/6/2021)
After almost a year of audit process, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announces that the National Association of Freezer Tuna Vessel Owners (ANABAC) has obtained the MSC certification for its yellowfin tuna (Thunnus Albacares) fished from free banks in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the first tuna association in Europe to be certified under the MSC fisheries standard.
 The certification process for this fishery began on June 30, 2020 with the public announcement and the presentation of the first preliminary diagnosis Announcement Comment Draft Report (ACDR). The process has followed all the steps of any full assessment under the strict MSC fisheries standard, including the peer review, the field visit, the submission process by all interested parties and the various interim reports published on the MSC website.
Yellowfin tuna is caught by the Egaluze, Alboniga, Zuberoa, Playa de Noja, Playa de Bakio, Playa de Ris and Playa de Azkorri boats owned by the Atunsa and Pevasa groups, and the certification has been achieved for the modality free bank (does not include floating object fishing method). Certified tuna may bear the MSC blue seal after having demonstrated the sustainability of the fishery after successfully passing the most demanding fishery audit process with respect to the MSC standard, after almost twelve months of evaluation.
 The MSC Fisheries Standard, widely recognized as the world's most rigorous and credible extractive fisheries sustainability assessment process, is based on three fundamental principles: healthy fish stocks; minimization of the impact on the marine environment as a whole; and an effective fisheries management system. The ANABAC certification has been carried out by the independent certifier Bureau Veritas for the three mentioned principles.
“The ANABAC fleet is a historical part of the Basque fishing industry and a fundamental agent in deep sea fishing in our country. The Basque Government has supported and endorsed this certification and is pleased that the Basque fishing sector remains at the forefront of fishing with the highest environmental, hygienic-sanitary, social  standards and compliance with management and conservation measures ”, he said declared Bittor Oroz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy of the Basque Government.
Ignacio Serrats, president of Bermeo Tuna World Capital, added that “if Bermeo is the world capital of tuna, it is because our people, our companies and our institutions have internalized that the present and the future of the tuna value chain pass for the achievement of these types of objectives such as the one that the ANABAC fleet has achieved today ”.
 For her part, Laura Rodríguez, MSC director for Spain and Portugal, wanted to congratulate the association and the companies Atunsa and Pevasa for the certification of their catches of yellowfin tuna in the Atlantic: “Yellowfin tuna is one of the most consumed in our country and it is vital to ensure that it comes from a sustainable source. The step taken by ANABAC is undoubtedly good news for the oceans and for citizens committed to the responsible consumption of fish ”.
 Finally, the president of the ANABAC association, Borja Soroa, has concluded: “This MSC certification for Atlantic yellowfin caught without fish concentrating devices represents a great step towards the objective of certifying all the catches made by our fleet. Undertaking a process as complex and demanding as MSC certification is for our associated companies an exercise in transparency in our management and our production. A clear way of demonstrating our commitment to the exercise of responsible and sustainable fishing that guarantees the continuity of the resource and of our activity for future generations of consumers and farmers ”.
Source: Interempresas (article available only in spanish)
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Txibitxiaga, 24 Entreplanta
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Bermeo
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Vizcaya (48370)
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Spain
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+34 946 882 806
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+34 946 885 017
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