Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) Pacific albacore tuna - south fishery scored in assessment against the MSC standard. For the certifiers evaluation please download the full public certification report with detailed information on the performance of this fishery against the criteria of the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified:

Sustainability strengths

Some of the points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below.

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• The species is well-understood – in terms of its life cycle and geographical range. This means that the stock, and the impacts of the fishery on the stock, can be monitored accurately to ensure its long term sustainability. 
• Albacore naturally segregate by size, which makes it easier for fishers to avoid catching young fish.
• There are good systems in place for recording and verifying catches.

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• Both pole-and-line and troll/jig fishing methods catch the target species almost exclusively. Bycatch of non-target species is relatively rare. This is especially true for pole-and-line fishing, where the fisher has visual contact with individual fish being caught.  In addition gear loss is low.
• Habitats relevant to fishing activities are well-known 
• The nature of pole & line and troll/jog fishing methods – that the activity happens near the sea’s surface - means that there is no contact with the sea bed and no known impact on the habitat.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• Management objectives aim to identify and reduce the impact of the fishery and to protect populations of target and not-target species, essential marine habitat, and ecosystems.

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are:

• Demonstrating support for responsible management practices to ensure the long term sustainability of the stock in relevant scientific, regulatory and governmental discussions.
• Responding to new information on stock status to ensure the sustainability of the stock.