Europêche has founded a new group to support sustainable tuna fishing and promote the sector in EU and international decision making.
The Europêche Tuna Group, headed up by Anne-France Mattlet, comprises the tuna freezer purse-seine organisations OPAGAC-AGAC and ORTHONGEL and aims to enhance competitiveness, improve the sector’s image, foster sustainable ocean governance and support the fight against IUU fishing and labour abuses.
Mrs Mattlet has more than five years’ experience working on international ocean governance and tuna-related polices within the French administration. “The EU purse-seine tuna fleet provides a vital source of food, employment, trade and economic welfare not only in Europe but also worldwide, including in developing countries,” she said.
“Our vessels comply with the highest standards of sustainability including working conditions, health, safety and hygiene. On top of that, our fleet has voluntarily adopted measures and invested in technology, at their own expense, to ensure optimal data collection,” she added.
Mrs Mattlet is worried that unworkable rules are penalising the tuna sector. “At present, low standard fish products unfairly compete with our own production in our own market,” she said.
“It is therefore paramount to address policy gaps and ensure an international level playing field, to protect our standards but also to ensure developing countries achieve the same ones, especially through the sustainable fisheries partnership agreements concluded with non-EU countries.”
