MSC status

Certified as sustainable on 4th November 2009.

Summary

Species: Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)
Location: FAO Area 61 and 71
Fishing methods: Pole and Line (Distant water fleet)
Vessels: Two vessels
Number of fisheries: 1

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More about skipjack tuna

Skipjack tuna are commonly found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean.Warm currents flowing toward the northern and southern poles in the western Pacific extend the skipjack distribution to approximately 40°N and 40°S. While skipjack occur throughout this area in the western Pacific, their distribution (and availability to fisheries) centers in the equatorial areas.

Skipjack growth is very rapid compared to other tropical tunas. Age estimates from both tagging and otolith readings indicate that western Pacific skipjack grow from 48 cm fork length (FL) at age 1 to 80 cm FL by age 4. However, there is a great deal of individual variability in growth. Additionally, skipjack reach reproductive maturity by approximately 1 ½ years of age.

The effect of these oceanographic factors coupled with the life history parameters is that skipjack are a very productive species which exhibits considerable variability in year-class strength and production.

More about the fishing method

The length of the line used in pole and line fishing is approximately 5m. Consequently, this fishery only catches the fish in the surface layers of the ocean. Considering the large area of the oceanic ecosystem and taking into account that no Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species have been reported caught, along with the low bycatch (which has a high probability of survival), the total impact from the pole and line fishing is considered to be insignificant.

The Japanese fleet operates between two seasonal fishing grounds. Between November and May the fleet mainly fishes in the subtropical waters of the Central Pacific Ocean but moves further north around 35°N and east of Japan between September and October. Due to the seasonality of the fishery, skipjack tuna catches from the Japanese pole and line fishery show high intra-annual variation.

Fishery tonnage

4000 tonnes, around 7% of the total catch of 60,000-70,000 tonnes.

Commercial market

The main current market is Japan but is also planning to sell to the US/EU market.

Actual eligibility date

The actual eligibility date for the Tosakatsuo Suisan pole and line skipjack tuna fishery is the 31st August 2009.

The Tosakatuso skipjack tuna fishery uses the pole and line fishing method in which fish is caught one by one with a lure. This is a traditional fishing technique used in Japan, which is passed down from generation to generation and is based on the spirit of ‘Mottainai’, meaning ‘a pity to waste’.

The selective fishing method ensures only fish of a certain size are caught as the size of the lure is too big for juveniles, leaving juveniles to mature. This ensures that the stock is sustained and also means that there are almost no discards during the harvesting process.

Mr Myojin, President of the Tosakatsuo Suisan fishery says “During Japan’s post-war economic boom, rural fishery and agriculture businesses suffered as urbanisation resulted in underpopulated and aging rural societies. Adding value to our seafood products, for example, through internationally-recognised certification such as the MSC ecolabel, allows our rural societies flourish and maintain their traditions.”     

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

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• Catches have never been recorded as exceeding the maximum sustainable yield and there is a high degree of certainty that stocks have been within sustainable limits for several decades.
  
• There is a comprehensive range of information collected and used to monitor and assess stock status at a high level of detail over both time and the geographical range of the species.
  
• The stocks are subject to a tested and robust assessment process which is appropriate for the stock and for the harvest control rules. Assessments are peer-reviewed and evaluated in the context of recent events.
  

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

• There is very little bycatch of other species or smaller sized skipjack. Bycatch reports submitted after every trip will be verified by the establishment of an observer program in 2010.
  
• There are no catches of endangered, threatened or protected species by this fishery given the nature of the gear used. However skippers are still required to submit reports for ETP species.
• As the fishing is pelagic in nature, there is no direct impact of gear on the marine environment.
  
• Species other than skipjack tuna are infrequently caught in this fishery. The main species caught other than skipjack is albacore tuna for which there is a high degree of certainty that stocks are within biologically based limits.
• There albacore catches are subject to a management strategy that is designed to ensure that the skipjack fishery does not pose a risk of harm to this species.
• There is evidence that this fishery is highly unlikely to disrupt key elements underlying the ecosystem structure and function to a point of harm.
  

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The system observes all legal and customary rights of people dependent upon fishing for food or livelihood under a formal codified system and which incorporates an appropriate dispute resolution framework.
• There are good monitoring, controls and surveillance mechanisms to ensure the management measures are enforced and complied with.
  

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:  

• Immediately after certification the fishery is to promote and support management actions put forward to develop formal harvest strategies and reference points.
  
• Within 6 months of certification to provide the resulting information on reference points and harvest strategies.
• Provide annual summaries of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) actions and the supportive measures implemented by the fishery in support of these actions.
  

The fishery: Unit of certification

The certified Tosakatsuo Suisan pole and line skipjack tuna fishery is defined as:

Surveillance 2:  Completed October 2011

Variation response - Allow ongoing assessment using FAM v.1 - 18 November 2011

Variation request - Allow ongoing assessment using FAM v.1 - 18 November 2011

Surveillance Report No. 2 - 25 October 2011

Surveillance Report No. 2 (Japanese) - 25 October 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 18th August 2011

Surveillance 1:  Completed October 2010

Surveillance Report No. 1 - 28th October 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 15th September 2010

Certificates: Compliance with the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable fishing

Certificate of compliance MML-F-093 - Valid 2nd November 2009 to 1st November 2014

Stage 7: Objections procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

No objections were received

Public certification report - 3rd November 2009

Public certification report (Japanese) - 3rd November 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Issuance of public certification report - 3rd November 2009

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination - 8th October 2009

Final report and determination (Japanese) - 8th October 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Announcement of final report and determination - 8th October 2009

Stage 5: Public review of the draft assessment report

Public comment draft report - 28th July 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Public comment draft report released - 28th July 2009

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers proposed - 13th March 2009

Stage 3: Information Gathering, Stakeholder Meetings and Scoring

Stakeholder Notification: Site visits scheduled - 19th December 2008

Stage 2: Building the Assessment Tree

Stakeholder Notification: Use of the default assessment tree - 24th November 2008

Stage 1: Fishery Announcement and Assessment Team Formation

Assessment team confirmation - 24th November 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominations - 4th November 2008

Stakeholder Notification - Fishery enters full assessment - 14th October 2008

Assessment timeline - 14th October 2008

Client

Tosakatsuo Suisan Co., Ltd

2287 Yokouchi,
Fujieda-shi,
Shizouka,
426-0002
Japan

Contact: Mr Hiroyuki Myojin, President
Email: myojin@tosakatu.jp
Phone: 81-54-646-8000

www.tosakatu.jp

Certification Body

Intertek Moody Marine 

Merlin House, Stanier Way
The Wyvern Business Park
Derby, DE21 6BF
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1332 544663
Fax: +44 (0)1332 675020

Contact: Jo Akroyd
Email: jakroyd@xtra.co.nz
Phone: +64 21 782434

www.moodyint.com