Chicken of the Sea Partners with Pacifical on MSC…

US shelf-stable seafood market leader, Chicken of the Sea (COS), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pacifical, to promote MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified tuna sourced from the eight-member nations of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) in the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Chicken of the Sea has introduced Pacifical MSC certified tuna with their brand Genova, one of the fastest growing tuna brands available in the US market. Genova is known for its premium high quality solid yellowfin tuna filets, packed in pure olive oil with no additives or preservatives, 100% wild caught tuna inspired by Italian-style fillets. Now also certified as sustainable by the MSC, caught from a fishery with one of the most rigorous and robust chain of custody certifications offered globally.

The Genova MSC certified product has just been made available nationwide in Walmart, Kroger, Albertson, Costco and many other retailers across the United States.

“Our sustainability strategy includes a commitment to procure tuna from MSC-certified fisheries,” said Roxanne Nanninga, Director of Sustainability for Thai Union, North America. “Our cooperation with Pacifical to source MSC tuna for our Genova brand is evidence of that commitment in action.”

“The sustainable management of the PNA waters is vital for the future of tuna species worldwide since 25% of the world’s tuna catch comes from our Exclusive Economic Zones”, said Henk Brus, Managing Director, Pacifical. “The partnership with Chicken of the Sea in the US market will be of great contribution to the further continuation of our sustainable effort in North America. With this cooperation, COS has taken an important step towards a long-term commitment to the sustainability of tuna. We all bear the responsibility of ensuring tuna stocks remain healthy for generations to come and we are excited to have Chicken of the Sea joining us on this mission.”

The MSC certified Genova yellowfin product now carries the Pacifical logo on its lid, in representation of COS’ direct commitment to the PNA island people. By choosing Pacifical tuna, partners and final consumers around the world are supporting the sustainability of this vast ecosystem, and the people who depend on it, bringing in business and employment opportunities, as well as livelihood.

“We congratulate Chicken of the Sea for this exceptional step forward and their contribution towards sustainability through the involvement of the Genova brand. We look forward to continue working hand in hand with Chicken of the Sea to deliver US consumers sustainable, high quality, transparent and nutritious yellowfin straight from paradise.” Said Maurice Brownjohn, Commercial Director, PNA Office.

“When people purchase seafood with the MSC ecolabel, their choice supports fishermen around the world who are working hard to meet the world’s most rigorous standard for sustainability,” says Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director of the Americas.

“We congratulate Pacifical and Chicken of the Sea on this partnership that will bring certified sustainable and traceable tuna to millions of American families when they buy the Genova brand with the blue MSC label.”

PNG Starts A Revolution In Tuna Processing

With around 80% of tuna catches in Papua New Guinea’s waters being processed elsewhere, offering discounted fishing days has cost this PNA island nation “around 16,000 jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars” according to the nation’s Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill. In an attempt to boost domestic processing, the PNG government has taken a revolutionary decision to implement a new reward system promoting development and employment within the national tuna sector in accordance with the state agreements requiring processing in PNG.

As of January 1st 2018, all vessels, foreign and domestic, and including those affiliated with PNG based canneries, will have to pay the full price for fishing days in the PNG EEZ. However, if these vessels land their tuna catch in PNG, and it is processed at their respective canneries, the production side of the corporation will be rebated USD 400 per ton of tuna processed. It is then up to the company if a proportion of this rebate is shared with the fishing side of the firm.

As PNG is the PNA nation with the biggest amount of fishing days to sell, this is a historical move from the country, and a bold decision.

According to the nation’s Prime Minister, this new system is expected to save over USD 70 million in previously forgone revenue in 2018, and also create more jobs and support development in the region, while at the same time it will also offer higher incentives to processing in PNG, which has always been the objective.

“These changes are about jobs, about the growth of the PNG fisheries sector and the long term social and economic benefits to our people” added Peter O’Neill.

We at Pacifical hope this will lead to a boost in MSC certified free-school canned tuna carrying our logo, being processed within PNG and exported duty free into the EU. This would be warmly welcomed by many eager EU customers that support the PNA region as a whole.

Update On PNA’s Free-School Recertification

The Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) Acoura published its official response to IPNLF’s objection to the PNA fishery recertification in early November, in which it concluded “that the [PNA] fishery should be recertified” for another 5 years. Despite the 126-page letter response, the objector IPNLF did not find that Acoura’s response resolved their objection and decided to continue to exert their right as stakeholders to seek adjudication. As indicated, and in line with MSC procedures, when matters remain unsolved after an objection is submitted, an oral hearing and adjudication is to be agreed and this will happen early on January 2018.

While we will certainly keep you updated on this ongoing process, we wanted to take this time to let you know we have complete confidence and trust that the PNA free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery will be recertified. We will continue to make our fully-sustainable MSC certified tuna available to consumers all over the world for many more years to come, as well as to maintain the platform for people of the Pacific to obtain a fair economic return for their most valuable natural resource.

As you may know, our current MSC certificate is valid until April 2018, so you can rest assured that our tuna will remain certified against the highest standards in seafood sustainability, also throughout this ongoing reassessment!

Pacifical MSC Products Penetrate Chinese Retail Market

Sustainably-caught MSC-certified tuna carrying our Pacifical logo is now available in the Chinese retail market under the major Australian brand John West, with which we share a strong commitment to the sustainability of our tuna and the entire eco-system.

A wide variety of John West Australia’s preserved MSC tuna products, which are manufactured in Thailand, has recently been made available in retail stores across China, including Shanghai.

Products such as No Drain cans, and the original Tuna Tempters by John West Australia now make fully- sustainably MSC-certified tuna from the EEZs of our 8 PNA Pacific Island nations available to consumers in China.

In early 2016, the partnership between Simplot, the owners of the John West brand in Australia, MSC, the PNA Office and Pacifical was announced, showing the company’s commitment to help end unsustainable fishing methods within the tuna industry. We are proud to see our partnership with Simplot and John West offer consumers in the world’s largest retail market the option to buy high- quality Pacifical MSC sustainably-caught free-school skipjack tuna, and look forward to seeing our presence in the Chinese market grow.

PNA & Pacifical One Step Closer To Recertification

CAB Remains Firm On Our MSC Certification

We are very happy to announce that Acoura Marine Ltd., the Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) conducting the reassessment of our MSC tuna fishery has issued its response to the objection presented by the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), which argued against recertification of our PNA MSC free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery. In its report to the Independent Adjudicator (IA), Acoura stands firm on its position that our MSC fishery should be recertified for another 5 years.

Within its final report on the reassessment a few months ago, the CAB already recommended the PNA fishery for recertification based on the high scores it received. Now, after addressing the objection submitted by the IPNLF, Acoura has responded with a 126-page letter, available on the MSC website, in which the CAB again “make the determination that the [PNA] fishery should be recertified”.

After the IPNLF and the IA have been given the chance to react to the CAB’s official response, Acoura will now consider any responses submitted and issue a revised copy of the final report, if applicable. Should matters remain unresolved, Acoura will seek an oral hearing and adjudication, following MSC procedures.

Acoura’s reaction comes as no surprise to Pacifical and the PNA Office, as most of the points raised in the objection were not directly related to the sustainability of our fishery, but mostly towards MSC policies in general. We remain confident that this process will lead to a positive outcome for the PNA’s ocean eco-system and our people, who depend on it. This will allow Pacifical to continue to make fully sustainable MSC-certified skipjack and yellowfin tuna available to consumers around the world for many years to come!

World’s Largest Retailer Eyeing Up PNA’s MSC-Certified Free-School Tuna

The PNA Office team was honored with a recent visit from the world’s largest retailer. Five representatives from Walmart visited the Marshall Islands to look at fish processing plants, fishing vessels and meet with government officials in Majuro. Since the capital city is home to the busiest tuna transshipment port, they could witness firsthand how our MSC CoC works on seiners anchored in the lagoon.

Motivated by their interest in tuna from the Western and Central Pacific and the social accountability aspects involved in fishing operations, Walmart is leaving the door open to explore business opportunities with PNA and Pacifical in the future.

“Hopefully following this visit we may see MSC Pacifical co-branded canned tuna in Walmart stores in the future.” – said Maurice Brownjohn, PNA Commercial Manager who gave Walmart a deeper insight on how our countries work on sustainability.

BREAKING: Newly Launched Web Pages Give Deeper Insight Into Our Progress

We as Pacifical always strive to keep you informed regarding our latest developments, and it is with great pride that today we can announce the addition of new pages to our website, Pacifical.com. What better way of gathering the most recent and accurate data regarding the world’s largest sustainable tuna fishery than directly from us?

Through our new pages, “How PNA drives real change”, “PNA’s Chain of Custody”, “Did You Know?”, “Pacifical Internships for PNA”, and the previously added “Pacifical Partners”, those interested can see the influence PNA initiatives have on the Western and Central Pacific, and how our hard work is positively impacting the islands and the people of this pristine region.

For instance, did you know that our MSC-eligible free school tonnage is 20% bigger than the entire tuna catch recorded in the Eastern Pacific ocean in 2014? Or that the total tuna catch in our PNA waters is still higher than all catches in the Eastern Pacific and Indian oceans combined? Check out the below graph – it puts numbers in perspective!

PACIFICAL & RD Sign MoU: Increasing MSC Supply

It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Corporation, one of the larger players in the global tuna market. Philippine-based RD Corporation, a vertically integrated fishing and processing group, has now committed to catching MSC certified free-school skipjack and yellowfin tuna and to creating more jobs and income for PNA island people, by further increasing its processing within PNG. This deal is of major importance not just for PACIFICAL, the PNA and our people of the Pacific, but for the entire tuna market.

With an annual purse seine tuna catch of around 90,000 tons, RD Corporation is a major player in the global tuna market; the main canner in PNG with its RD Tuna plant in Madang, and its Philbest operation in General Santos, Philippines. Both origins have the possibility for zero percent import duty when product is imported into the EU.

“This new cooperation is a major step forward in making truly sustainably-caught canned tuna more widely available in the EU market, and hopefully also in the US,” says Pacifical CEO Henk Brus.

The signing of this MoU, is expected to result, in 2018, in over one thousand containers of MSC-certified canned and pouched tuna from PNG and the Philippines making its way to EU based importers, retailers, food service companies and food processors.

Taking into consideration the recent decision by our Board of Directors to reduce our service fee to 2%, along with the zero duty possibility, this agreement will most likely make MSC tuna available at more competitive prices within the EU market, making it more attractive to a wider group of buyers, and thus a further growing contribution to true sustainability of our pristine ocean eco-system.

UPDATE: Recertification Process Of Our MSC Free-School Tuna Fishery

The CAB (Certification Assessment Body) recently delivered its final report on the reassessment of our MSC free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery, and recommended the PNA for recertification based on the high scores received. However, we have been informed by the MSC that there has been an objection against our recertification, submitted by the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF). This objection is currently being addressed by the Independent Adjudicator (IA).

After studying the objection, we find that most of the points being raised by the IPNLF, are not directly related to the sustainability of our free-school fishery but mostly towards MSC policies and standards in general. At PACIFICAL we are confident that our PNA skipjack and yellowfin fishery will be recertified as being sustainable, and the fact that our efforts and initiatives continue to bring real positive change to tuna stocks and the entire PNA ocean ecosystem.

It is of public knowledge that MSC procedures are open to the stakeholders views and opinions, allowing everyone to have a say. This process only strengthens our confidence in the world’s most trusted sustainability standard; and we believe this is the best way a sustainability accreditation can be critically and deeply evaluated against latest available science and findings. The adjudicator has now invited those stakeholders already involved in the process to comment on the published IPNLF objection.

Pending this adjudication process our current MSC certificate, which would have expired on Oct 15th 2017, will now be extended for another 6 months, assuring continuity in our entire supply chain.

We trust we’ll be sharing some other positive news with you soon. In the meantime, please do not hesitate in getting in touch with us at info@pacifical.com, or with your contact person at Pacifical, if you have any questions or want to know more about the right tuna for you!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Pacifical Lowers Its Service Fee

Since PNA / Pacifical started working on its MSC certification in 2011, and the development of markets for its free-school caught skipjack tuna, a lot has happened.

As part of a start-up company, our team has for several years fought an uphill battle against many powerful market forces in order to get catches, production, distribution and marketing of our PNA-caught MSC tuna organized on a global scale.

In the meantime we have matured; we have reached over 200 million consumers with Pacifical co-branded MSC tuna, our shareholders have been able to recoup their initial investment and for the first time see solid earnings, now making Pacifical a healthy and financially sound company.

This now enables us, based on our values, to reduce our service fee so we can scale up and come even closer to the goals we want to meet.

These goals are:

• Creating an overall sustainable tuna fishery in the PNA – besides the MSC-certified free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery we already have.
• Generating jobs, economic development, and financial spin-offs for the people of the PNA.
• Making sustainable MSC-certified tuna widely and easily available for consumers with all budgets – granting everybody access to healthy tuna from our pristine waters carrying our Pacifical logo.
• We want to reach these goals together with you as partners, and we thank you for the continuous support that you have given us so far.

To give expression to our determination and dedication to these goals, and to create major impact, the Pacifical Board of Directors has recently decided to make a major contribution by reducing the Pacifical service fee from 5 to 2% over the end product.

This means that all container or truck deliveries with end products leaving the port or factory after January 1st 2018 will be subjected to the new 2% service fee.

We hope this helps embolden and further intensify your cooperation with the people of the PNA through Pacifical, so that we can together reach the goals we stand for through the growing supply of sustainable caught tuna from our pristine waters.

Final Report Determines PNA Fishery Should Be Recertified MSC

The Final Report on the PNA fishery’s MSC reassessment process has been published, and concludes that the fishery should be recertified.

With great pride we can announce that the MSC has now published the Certification Assessment Body (CAB), Acoura Marine’s Final Report on the reassessment of the PNA Western and Central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free-school purse seine fishery, where our Pacifical co-branded tuna is sourced from.

The outcome is extremely encouraging; following a 30-day stakeholder comment period on the initial draft report from the CAB, this final report maintains the high passing scores across the board that were given to the PNA free school fisheries.

It is therefore determined by the CAB that the fishery “meets the MSC Standard and should be recertified as a sustainable fishery.”

There will now be a 15 working day period in which previously involved stakeholders may lodge a notice of objection to this determination.You can download the final report by Acoura Marine here.

Saving Bigeye and How Our Chain of Custody Works

How Our Multilevel CoC Assures You Get MSC Free School Tuna

Assuring that you, as our partners, can always be fully confident that Pacifical co-branded free school tuna is caught in a sustainable way, and fully meets the MSC criteria, going even above and beyond CoC standards, has always been at the forefront of our efforts, since we started in 2010.

PNA and Pacifical probably have one of the most complex supply chain and Chain of Custodies (CoC) in existence, within an area 40% bigger than Europe, where many seiners and reefer carriers transship in many different ports and move catch to several destinations to process. We are very proud of our strict multi-level systems, with many strict filters, checks, balances and controls run by PNA at-sea and Pacifical. In order to make it easier to understand we have now made a comprehensive overview on just one sheet, which tells you exactly how it all works: click here to check it out.

By the way – never forget this: Our Pacifical tuna is only MSC certified after it has successfully passed our many CoC checkpoints. Before that it is just “eligible” for certification, if confirmed as free school up until then!!

Some people mistakenly think we just rely on captain declarations or our independent on-board observers. This is WRONG! To protect observer safety the observer’s role is just to observe and record, and in fact PNA has many other controls in place based upon industry and other document trails. This is in addition to the fully confidential observer reports and independent analysis of their data in-port.

PNA is also using positional satellite data of vessel movements to verify if fishing is in the MSC UOA/UOC area, as well as captain log sheets, observer records, commercial documents, photos at all stages, and strictly supervised transshipments, discharge monitoring, grading and sorting prior to cold store entry, which all form part of the PNA CoC. For example you can determine quite accurately by the composition of the catch, size, by-catch species etc., if this was really from a free school set and that MSC eligible can legitimately become MSC certified.

Did you know that presence of a pufferfish for example is absolute grounds to disqualify a batch being claimed as from a free school set? They just can’t swim fast enough to be in a school and they need structure in nature to hide.

Pacifical CoC continues from the PNA certifying the MSC certified batch in the cold store through to processing and retail. Each batch and can is traceable, and is also audited.

As you know traceability and full transparency are a key part of the service we provide at Pacifical; that’s why all our PNA MSC certified tuna carryies the prestigious MSC and Pacifical logos and can be traced back online from shelf to sea. This provides not only a platform to promote the sustainability of the product, but also the health aspects from tuna and the pristine PNA ecosystem it comes from in the Pacific. This remains unrivalled in the trade.

PNA FAD Measures Contribute To Positive Bigeye Tuna Stock Status

Back in 2007 scientists identified the overfished state of the WCPO bigeye stock as an immediate concern. Large bigeye are targeted by longliners, and juveniles are bycatch in purse seine fishing with FADs .

Great news!!! Since 2007 PNA-introduced conservation measures have contributed to the positive indications that bigeye stocks are on the way to recovery. This is what a recent scientific report by the WCPFC shows!

The MSC certification for the PNA skipjack and yellowfin tuna fishery has been a big part of this effort, by encouraging fishing captains to catch more and higher value free schools and have them be less dependent on FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices). In the PNA free school fishery you find less than 1% bigeye tuna and other bycatch, but on FAD sets the bigeye catch is almost tenfold. For this reason PNA has led to the fight to limit excessive and uncontrolled use of FADs and bring a balance of management into the FAD sector.

PNA has successfully increased free school fishing and reduced FAD use through high seas pocket closures, in-zone seasonal FAD bans, tuna catch retention for purse seiners, a comprehensive FAD monitoring and tracking system, near real time e-reporting, an e-Catch Documentation Scheme (e-CDS), and other management tools and measures.

Some people say: CATCH ONLY FREE SCHOOLS! As great as it sounds, it is not realistic and would not even be sustainable. Biologists tell us there needs to be a balance. Today’s reality is that FAD fishing is unlikely to go away anytime soon as a gear-type used by purse seiners. In fact natural logs are FADs and have always existed in the fishery. What is required is continued sustainable management and a balance.

This is why last week the CEO of the PNA Mr. Ludwig Kumoru reacted on the positive news on bigeye with this statement: “This is a good start and PNA looks forward to evidence of continued improvements, especially in the bigeye stock status in the next stock assessment in 2020. PNA will continue to work towards seeing the entire PNA ocean ecosystem including a sustainable managed FAD fishery, being fully MSC certified within the coming 5 years,”.

If you would like to read the full scientific report you can find it here.

“On The Hook” Hits At MSC With Unnamed “Major…

The MSC has been criticized in a newly launched campaign for “planning to re-certify the world’s largest tuna fishery,” in the PNA. ‘On The Hook’, representing a group of various organizations states that “major UK brands” are against the recertification, however it’s not totally clear which these brands are. The MSC has reacted, believing the claims made against it are “misleading and false.”

A press release from On The Hook, which has been formed in part by World Wise Foods, one of the largest suppliers of pole and line tuna to the UK market, as well as US pole and line brand, American Tuna, retailer Woolworths South Africa, and NGOs including Shark Project and Forest and Bird, notes that “major UK brands fight against “blue tick” for the world’s largest tuna fishery.”

At the center of their campaign is the claim that within the PNA tuna fishery, “a fishing vessel and crew can use the same gear (purse seine) one day to fish tuna sustainably (by free-school), receiving the MSC certification, and then on the same trip be hauling turtles, sharks, juvenile tuna and other protected species unsustainably (using FADs).”

Although it’s noted by On The Hook that big UK brands are supporting this argument, there are two leading canned tuna brands in the UK market; John West, which is not listed as an On the Hook member, and Princes, which is actually criticized in the press release for “distributing this tuna to the UK’s largest supermarket.” This therefore puts into question which “Major UK brands” the release is referring to.

Despite the fact that the regular five year MSC reassessment of the PNA free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery is still under review of the Certification Assessment Body (CAB), Acoura Marine, which recently called for stakeholder comment on its draft report, it seems that On the Hook already believes that MSC is “planning to re-certify”.

“On the Hook seeks to urgently prevent MSC re-certifying PNA,” the release reads. “They believe MSC are “betraying the trust” of the consumers saying that it is not acceptable for consumers to be “duped” into buying a premium product that has been certified sustainable, when all they need to do is scratch the surface and find unsustainable practices”.

It’s added that the MSC website states that when you see seafood with the blue MSC label, you can be sure it comes from a sustainable fishery. The release however states that “On the Hook no longer believe this to be the case.” While this doubt is related specifically to the PNA, such a statement could stretch to question other MSC certified tuna fisheries, including the pole and line skipjack fishery in the Maldives, which some On the Hook members are involved in supplying to major UK retailers.

Pacifical, the marketing arm of MSC certified tuna coming from the region, has defended the MSC certification of the PNA fishery, stressing that the strict Chain of Custody (CoC), teamed with 100 percent observer coverage, guarantees that there is no mixture of certified and uncertified catch on board any purse seiner.

With PNA being criticized on the mixed operations within its fishery, Pacifical has contacted the MSC Board to explain this stringent CoC extensively and the procedures behind it that ensure strict separation of catch on board and right through until the processing plant, and therefore in the product.

The MSC has responded to the launch of this campaign, and told Atuna that it is disappointing to see “these misleading and false claims, and strongly rejects the accusation of duping consumers…Consumers can be confident that our ‘blue tick’ label indicates a fish has been responsibly caught and is fully traceable to a sustainable source.”

It’s added by MSC that the PNA tuna fishery achieved MSC certification following an in-depth assessment by an independent certification body. It is now undergoing full reassessment, which is required every five years for all fisheries in the MSC program. It stresses that assessments are conducted by independent third parties, not the MSC itself. “An assessment to the MSC standard includes opportunities for stakeholder comments, peer review and an objection process, overseen by an independent adjudicator.”

Princes has also reacted to the campaign, informing Atuna that it “is fully committed to the long term sustainability of the tuna used in all of its products…Princes currently sources MSC certified tuna from the PNA Western and Central Pacific FAD-free tuna fishery. This fishery has been independently assessed against the MSC standard and the MSC has affirmed its certification of this sustainable source.”

MSC acknowledges that some stakeholders have raised concerns relating to the use of multiple fishing techniques to catch certified and non-certified products from the same boat. These concerns were discussed and listened to during a workshop organized by the MSC in June.” Since then, MSC has developed three potential options to address these concerns, which will now go for formal consultation from stakeholders from September 1st.

It’s noted that on the launch of this campaign, On the Hook has written collectively to the MSC asking, in the name of its members, for them to immediately halt the re-certification of the PNA and to urgently review the MSC standard.

There are a number of environmental NGOs that are listed as On the Hook members, however the major groups, WWF and Greenpeace are not mentioned in the letter, despite the latter having long been a strong supporter of pole and line caught tuna, which On the Hook participants are mostly involved in.

Although it will be looking at its system, David Agnew, MSC Science and Standards Director is confident already in the strength of the process. “Third-party scrutiny, independence, impartiality and stakeholder consultation are central to the MSC’s values and commitment to continually improve and maintain-world leading standards. “Shoppers and diners can continue to feel confident when buying seafood bearing our label that it has been caught responsibly and is fully traceable to a sustainable source.”

Article published by Atuna.com on August 31st, 2017