The Japanese Tosakatsuo Suisan Group pole and line skipjack tuna fishery has been awarded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. Following a rigorous 12 months independent assessment, the Tosakatsuo Suisan fishery has become the first skipjack tuna fishery in the world to bear the MSC ecolabel.
The Japanese distant-water pole and line fishery started in the 1950s and currently comprises about 50 distant-water vessels of which 25 vessels are active in the fishery. The total catch is about 40,000 to 50,000MT and the client group’s boats catch around 10% of that (approximately 4,000MT). The fishery is seasonal and takes place from November to May in the South Pacific moving further north and east of Japan between September and October.
The skipjack stock in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is assessed as being within safe biological limits. The fishery was found to be taking place in such a way that the productivity of the stocks is being protected and with minimal impacts on other marine life. As part of its ongoing certification, Tosakatsuo Skipjack Pole and Line Fishery is to promote and support management actions put forward to further improve and formalise the international and Japanese fisheries management framework.
