On 9 February, 15 fishery observers boarded tuna purse seiners owned by Spanish shipowners Atuneros Vascos, Inpesca, Pevasa and Seabreeze Ventures – all part of the Pevaeche group.
These observers have been approved by Friend of the Sea and they will report on all aspects related to the potential environmental impact of fishing operations. AZTI, Tecnalia the Basque Technological Centre specialised in Marine and Food Research, has provided the experienced observers.
Relevant data, such as bycatch and footage of fishing activity, will be made available to interested stakeholders and NGOs. It will help to further improve fishing policies of these Spanish companies, which are already among the most restrictive in terms of handling bycatch, waste and energy management.
The fleet consists of six modern tuna fishing-freezer boats (Playa de Bakio, Playa de Azkorri, Juan Ramón Egaña, Txori Berri, Txori Urdin and Txirriñe), registered with ICCAT (The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) which fish in the Atlantic ocean.
The owners of the Pevaeche vessels confirm that "Friend of the Sea monitoring will provide added value and assure consumers and NGO’s that the tuna is caught in compliance with sustainable fishing practices."
The tuna vessels have been the first to gain Friend of the Sea certification in Europe. The group is also approved Dolphin Safe by the Earth Island Institute.
