Frozen skipjack tuna being unloaded. (Photo: FIS)

Independent review highlights flaws in assessment of Pacific tuna fishery

UNITED KINGDOM
Monday, November 28, 2011, 23:40 (GMT + 9)

An independent adjudicator has remanded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) western and central Pacific skipjack tuna unassociated purse seine fishery, concluding the certifying body had not relied on appropriate scientific evidence demonstrating PNA could sustainably manage the world’s largest tuna stock on its own.

After conducting a two-day hearing, the adjudicator determined that the certification must be sent back to the assessment team due to a mistake of material fact that rendered the initial certification decision arbitrary and unreasonable. The ruling found that the final report filed by Intertek Moody Marine, Inc. did not identify, with accuracy and consistency, the PNA’s share of the region’s skipjack catch and the certifier had no scientific basis to conclude that PNA would be capable of managing the entire migratory stock. The MSC standard for a well-managed fishery is one where the target stock is managed throughout its range.

“In order to improve the sustainability of Pacific tuna stocks, it is essential that the region raise its collective standards,” said Susan Jackson, President of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). “This work will take a committed, coordinated effort and the PNA cannot do it alone. As this ruling points out, all nations that share this stock of tuna must work toward better standards of practice. Effective management is an absolute and there is no effective management without regional cooperation.”

“ISSF has committed to continue working on improvement projects across the Pacific, and we will be first in line to partner with any effort that effectively addresses the needs of this region. This is not a failure of the PNA – it is an opportunity for these nations to set a standard all nations should meet.”

Other objections recognized by the adjudicator include the lack of defined harvest control rules, and a deficiency in monitoring and catch reporting, specifically for Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

“The entire Pacific region needs strong support to meet higher standards for bycatch mitigation, data reporting, and comprehensive monitoring, control and surveillance,” Jackson added.

ISSF’s Make the Commitment project includes specific objectives and firm deadlines designed to implement best practices across the whole of tuna fisheries. Particularly relevant to the Adjudicator’s findings are ISSF’s commitments on data reporting, complete tuna and bycatch retention, full Flag State participation in the relevant regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) and substantial compliance with RFMO membership obligations and responsibilities. ISSF has also advocated for each RFMO to adopt stock-specific target and limit reference points and harvest control rules.

Intertek Moody Marine, Inc., will have an opportunity to respond to the decision, and ISSF will have a chance to reply before the Adjudicator’s decision becomes final.

ISSF was one of three groups that filed a request for an Independent Adjudicator to take a second look at the assessment. The original objections to the MSC certification assessment conducted by Intertek Moody Marine, Inc. on the PNA skipjack tuna unassociated purse seine fishery can be found here.
 

Related article:

- ISSF opposes MSC certification of skipjack fishery

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