Japan's Fisheries Group Earns World's First MSC Certification for Skipjack Pole and Line Fishery

Copyright Tosakatsuo Suisan Co.

Japan's Tosakatsuo Suisan Group announced on November 4, 2009, that its pole and line skipjack tuna fishery has received a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. It is the first time that a skipjack tuna fishery has been awarded such MSC certification.

MSC, a UK-based certification organization, certifies fisheries based on the "principles and standards for sustainable fisheries," giving their products the MSC label. The label helps consumers purchase seafood from well-managed sources, enabling them to contribute to the spread of sustainable fisheries.

The Japanese distant-water pole and line skipjack tuna fishery began in the 1950s, and more than 100 fishing vessels were operating at that time. Currently, however, the number of operating vessels has fallen to 25. The skipjack stock in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is thought to be within safe biological limits. MSC noted that the pole and line skipjack tuna fishery protects the productivity of stocks with minimal impact on other marine life, and decided to certify the fishery operated by the Tosakatsuo Group. The group's pole and line skipjack tuna products will now bear the MSC certificate on their labels.

MSC Certified Products Reach 100 in Japan (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/027156.html
Marine Stewardship Council
http://www.msc.org

Posted: 2010/01/28 06:00:15 AM