Page 23 - IB JAN 2017

Fisheries

‘Wild-catch’ tuna to nnage may double

certification for the skipjack tuna fishery
was development of “target reference
points” for the tuna stock. Sustainably
This was developed by PNA and ad- caught tuna
under the
opted as policy for this fishery by the PNA could
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries double under
Commission at its 2015 annual meet- current
market deals,
ing, he said. forecasts
The next step is a harvest control predict.
strategy, which PNA is now engaged Photo: PNA
in developing for endorsement by the
WCPFC, Holden said.
PNA Commercial Manager Maurice
Brownjohn, who has developed the cer-
tification and chain of custody systems marketing co-brand for pMSC-certified private tuna labels and growing interest
from the start, said MSC certification tuna, which in turn is paying dividends from brands globally,” said Mr. Kumoru.
is the “gold standard” for fisheries to PNA members from this Pacifical tuna “Today, over 200 purse seiners are
sustainability. “MSC-certified skipjack marketed in Australia, New Zealand, participating in the PNA scheme, which
and yellowfin from PNA waters now Europe, USA and elsewhere. is why we anticipate the volume of MSC-
accounts for over 90 per cent of all MSC- Retailers are paying up to a 20 per cent certified tuna delivered to market to rise
certified tuna being traded globally,” premium for MSC-certified Pacifical tuna to 100,000 metric tons in 2017.”
Brownjohn said. “PNA’s MSC chain of compared to tuna caught using FADs.
custody system is now seen as the global “There has been huge buy-in by n PNA
standard for free school caught tuna.”
From the initial MSC certification
in December 2012, it took another year ‘
for PNA to develop and implement the
rigorous chain of custody and traceabil-
ity system before tuna was marketed as ... There
MSC-certified sustainably caught fish.
In addition, pointed out Mr. Kumoru, has been
“at the outset of PNA’s move to meet
MSC standards in our fishery, a num- huge buy-
ber of industry players objected to PNA
raising sustainability standards for the in from
fishery and even attempted to block us
through legal interventions. private
But PNA withstood these challenges
and has demonstrated the viability and tuna
financial benefit of free school caught
tuna. Today we are seeing strong indus- labels and
try participation to provide MSC-certified
tuna to consumers.” growing
Since 2014, the volume of MSC-
certified tuna from PNA waters mar- interest
keted globally has continued to increase
exponentially as more industry players from
see the benefit of participating in the
scheme. brands
Fishing vessels that deliver free school
caught tuna that meets the strict sus-
tainability guidelines get as much as
$100 per ton extra, and retailers are able
to sell this tuna at a premium because it globally ... ‘
is sustainably caught.
The PNA established Pacifical as its

Islands Business, January 2017 23