SPAIN: The non-profit organization Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announces that the National Association of Freezer Tuna Vessel Owners (ANABAC) has started the evaluation process to certify its catches of skipjack tuna in the Indian Ocean under the MSC Fisheries Standard. .

After almost a year of auditing process, in June 2021, ANABAC obtained MSC certification for its yellowfin tuna (Thunnus Albacares) fished in free schools in the Atlantic Ocean. This process followed all the steps of full assessment under the strict MSC Fisheries Standard, including peer review, site visit, the process of submitting claims by all interested parties and the various interim reports published in the MSC website.

Widely recognized as the world's most rigorous and credible extractive fisheries sustainability assessment process, the MSC Fisheries Standard certifies well-managed, sustainable fisheries and 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. ANABAC's certification will be carried out by the independent certifier Bureau Veritas for the three principles mentioned.

In the event that the evaluation is completed successfully, the skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) caught by purse-seine gear and in all its modalities, both free school and on fish aggregating devices (FADs) may look the MSC sustainable fishing identification, the blue seal.

The fishery is made up of eight vessels, which are Izurdia, Doniene, Playa de Aritzatxu, Playa de Ris, Artza, Morne Blanc, Morn Seselwa and Playa de Anzoras, owned by the companies ATUNSA and PEVASA, four of which have a Spanish flag and another four are flagged to the Seychelles. The fishing zone corresponds to the entire Indian Ocean and, specifically, to FAO zones 51 and 57.

Currently, a total of 21 vessels are attached to this association, fishing mainly yellowfin tuna (yellow fin tuna) and skipjack tuna in the tropical waters of the Atlantic (from Mauritania to Angola) and Indian Oceans (from the eastern African coast to the Chagos Islands) both inside and outside the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the coastal countries, since tuna is a highly migratory species and is not permanently located in a given fishing ground.

“Following the first MSC certification of the Atlantic Ocean tuna free school fishery, obtained last year, the assessment of our Indian Ocean skipjack fishery is the natural step taken by ANABAC in its plan to certify under the Fisheries Standard MSC all its fisheries”. Borja Soroa, president of ANABAC.

“A year ago we celebrated the MSC certification for the Atlantic yellowfin tuna catches of the Anabac fleet. We are pleased that the association has now decided to assess its catches of skipjack tuna in the Indian Ocean by undergoing the independent and participatory assessment process of the MSC standard. We wish the member companies of ANABAC much success in the process”. Laura Rodríguez, MSC Program Director for Spain and Portugal.

Source: MSC

MALAYSIA: The government is providing assistance, including funding through Agrobank, that can be used by deep sea fishing industry players to modernise vessels and fishing mechanisms, said Agriculture and Food Industries Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee.

He said the initiatives are not only to help industry players but also to attract more parties to explore the deep-sea fishing sector. “Funding is provided by the government through Agrobank, and we hope that industry players take advantage of the assistance.

“We are focusing on the deep-sea fishing industry, which has not been fully explored. This is in line with the National Agrofood Policy 2.0, as it is not only for the continuity of food supply but also opens opportunities to export deep sea fishing resources,” he told reporters after launching a fish processing plant and cold storage facility, here today.

In the meantime, he said that the tuna fishing industry has great potential as a new source of wealth for Sabah but has not been fully explored.

“The waters of Sabah are rich in deep sea fishing resources that have not yet been explored; these tunas are migratory, unfortunately, they are not caught. Deep sea fishing is a great economic resource to increase the state's income,” he said.

From January to August this year, Malaysia recorded 55,138.63 MT of tuna landed, worth more than RM491 million.

Meanwhile, Agrobank chief executive officer, Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin, said that the government, through the bank, is providing RM150 million in funding this year to help the fishing industry players.

“In the first phase (of this year), thus far, we have received and approved 37 applications, and have disbursed RM132 million to applicants to finance fishing boats in terms of modernisation - from wooden to fibre vessels, and equipment purchase.

“As for the second phase, as much as RM200 million in funds will be provided next year,” he said.

He said that Agrobank welcomes applications from local fishermen and together develop the fishing industry towards achieving a sufficient food supply for the people's consumption, thus reducing dependence on imports.

Source: Bernama

PERU: According to Produce, in Peru, artisanal fishing and aquaculture contribute 65% of hydrobiological products intended for direct human consumption; that is, it supplies 2 out of 3 of these products that are consumed in the country and takes advantage of nearly 300 species of the thousand available in the Peruvian sea, promoting the diversified consumption of marine biodiversity.

According to the FAO, Peru is the country with the highest consumption of fish in South America with 23 kg per capita per year (2021). Consequently, landings for direct human consumption have increased by 43.9% from 2010 to 2019. However, 39% of producers do not have preservation systems (such as the cold chain) and 84% do not have Sanitary authorization, which increases the risks for human consumption and puts productivity at risk, especially of small artisanal fishermen.

Also, the growth of artisanal fishing and aquaculture has not been sustainable. According to the World Bank, they maintain a high degree of informality with more than 60% of vessels without valid fishing permits and without reporting their catches. To a large extent, this precarious situation has been generated by the lack of attention regarding the development of good practices in artisanal fishermen and aquaculturists, triggering problems of overexploitation. This difficulty, in turn, produces an ecosystem imbalance that causes a decrease in the biomass of marine species.

For this reason, it is necessary to implement a systemic approach in these productive activities, taking into account the environmental alterations caused by overexploitation and limited control. Otherwise, since artisanal fishing and aquaculture are a substantive part of the national diet, there would be serious risks of access to healthy food in the future, as well as in labor matters for the more than 74,000 artisanal fishermen in the country and for the thousands of aquaculturists and mariculturists.

Due to the aforementioned, the FAO is committed to an approach to transforming the production and consumption systems of artisanal hydrobiological products based on the installation of a multisectoral vision that promotes direct human consumption of these. For this, it is necessary to pay special attention to the Andean and high Andean areas that present the lowest per capita consumption at the national level (less than 15 kg per capita, compared to the high values ​​in the coast and jungle, which exceed 30 and 40 kg respectively in the regions with the highest consumption). It must be remembered that in these areas the triple burden of malnutrition – food insecurity, malnutrition and overweight – is evident, with high rates of anemia and chronic child malnutrition, so that an improvement in access to hydrobiological products would have a positive impact. At this point, Andean artisanal fish farmers, mainly trout, play a key role in improving direct human consumption in these regions with high potential for this activity.

Likewise, to manage the promotion of consumption, it is necessary to generate better production. As mentioned above, this task requires a systemic approach involving monitoring and control of artisanal fishing and aquaculture. Therefore, it is necessary to promote governance schemes that encourage research and innovation in these chains in order to assess the impacts on aquatic ecosystems, improve real-time traceability systems, promote short marketing circuits and strengthen waste management. and waste of hydrobiological products. On this last point, it also opens up the possibility of creating a link between family farming and artisanal fishing and aquaculture by transforming the waste from these activities into organic fertilizers, which is particularly attractive given the difficulties of access to chemical fertilizers that the country currently faces.

Since 2022 is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, it is key to recognize the role that these activities play in food security in Peru and their contribution to achieving Zero Hunger. For this, it is necessary to systematize actions from different fronts, articulating institutions in a multisectoral and multilevel manner, and always with the participation of small fishermen.

 Source: El Peruano