Longline fishing vessels targeting bigeye and yellowfin tuna under the management of the Marshall Islands Fishing Venture (MIFV), a subsidiary of Liancheng Overseas Fishery (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd (SZLC), have achieved certification to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing.
This is only the second bigeye tuna fishery to achieve MSC certification. The first was a yellowfin and bigeye tuna fishery in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), also owned by Liancheng. Both fisheries are fished by vessels flagged to FSM and China.
The assessment, carried out by independent assessors from Control Union, found that the fishery meets all 28 performance indicators required for MSC certification. These include measures of sustainable fish stocks, by-catch, habitat impacts and effective management.
“This certification is a significant moment in our company’s history and marks the culmination of five years of hard work. All four MSC certified fisheries owned by Liancheng achieved certification as the result of fishery improvement projects,” said Joe Murphy, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Liancheng Overseas Fishery.
“It has been a companywide initiative to ensure the sustainability of our primary fishing grounds and to offer our valued customers a consistent supply of MSC certified sustainable tuna. We are extremely grateful to the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority for their unending cooperation and support during the process. This achievement is as much theirs as it is ours.”
The fishery is currently trialling electronic monitoring systems on six of its vessels. As of February
2019, 119 longline fishing trips have been electronically observed in this manner. As part of its certification, the fishery has committed to implement further monitoring, control and surveillance systems, including dockside additional checks, by 2023.
Tuna caught by the fishery is processed in Majuro before being exported fresh to markets in the United States, Japan, China and other Asian markets.
“As a small island nation, the Marshall Islands very much depends on healthy oceans and fishing for our livelihood and the welfare of our communities. MSC certification gives us the confidence that we’re fishing our oceans sustainably, leaving a thriving resource for generations to come. It also gives those fishing our waters extra market incentive to safeguard the environment. It’s a win-win,” commented Glen Joseph, Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority.
