Tosakatsuo Suisan pole and line skipjack tuna
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.
