Pacifical CEO’s reaction to the On The Hook Campaign

A coalition of two pole and line trading companies, together with a group of small NGOs, a few scientists, as well as one South African and one Swiss retailer, have formed the organization ‘On The Hook’, which claims on its website to be “protecting the world’s largest tuna fishery” by going against MSC and our PNA MSC certified free school skipjack and yellowfin fisheries. All major retailers, brands and NGOs that play an important role in the tuna business have decided not to support the ‘On The Hook’ coalition.

The sad fact is that “On The Hook” has never involved itself in any constructive dialogue with the PNA, neither with Pacifical, and apparently has no other clear goal than trying to prevent our free school fishery being re-certified. We have yet to hear any constructive idea from this group on how they think the PNA eco-system should be protected, and its fisheries sustainably managed.

The name of the coalition already suggests a strong relation to pole and line. However it is remarkable that only four market parties that are involved in the trading of pole and line tuna are mentioned; John Burton’s company World Wise Foods and its small Dutch customer Fish Tales, along with the two retailers. There is no sign of support from the IPNLF (The International Pole and Line Foundation), nor from any of their industry members, except the four earlier mentioned companies.

We as Pacifical have always been supportive of pole and line fishing. We also have MSC certified pole and line fishing ongoing within PNA waters, however unfortunately the bold reality is that we could not supply large parts of the world population with nutritious and healthy sustainably-caught wild tuna, if we would only catch them one by one. That is why PNA and Pacifical have worked very hard together to make our purse seine free school fisheries sustainable and to the level where they were certified by the MSC; a certification which has already been held for five years. This enables us to provide a much larger group of consumers with affordable sustainable tuna year-round, which could never be fulfilled by pole and line.

We invite ‘On The Hook’ to come with constructive proposals on sustainably managed tuna fisheries and how they would create real change, and stimulate fishermen around the world to switch from destructive fishing techniques to sustainable methods.

Pacifical’s Yellowfin The Cleanest Sustainable Tuna In The Market

Guess what? Our Pacifical yellowfin tuna from the Western Central Pacific Ocean has been found to contain far lower levels of pollutants in their muscle tissues than any other yellowfin from other ocean areas. This makes our Pacifical MSC certified yellowfin products caught within the PNA waters of the WCPO, not only one of the most sustainable choices a consumer can make, but also the cleanest and healthiest option!!!

The research conducted by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, called ‘Geographic Differences in Persistent Organic Pollutant Levels of Yellowfin Tuna’, concluded that the presence of toxic compounds depends on where the tuna is caught, putting WCPO-caught yellowfin at the top of the 117 tested specimens.

In this study researchers tested dorsal, white muscle filets of yellowfin tuna from all four major stocks; in the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, covering 12 different capture locations. Their findings showed levels of persistent organic pollutants as much as 36 times higher in the muscle tissue of yellowfin caught in the northeast Pacific Ocean and the northeast Atlantic Ocean, in comparison to yellowfin tested from the Western Pacific Ocean, where our MSC certified Pacifical yellowfin tuna is being caught.

Persistent organic pollutants include pesticides, flame retardants and Polychlorinated biphenyls (compounds that had previously been used as coolants in electrical equipment). Despite their restricted or eliminated use, these pollutants still persist in the environment, and accumulate in organisms including fish and humans, and can affect the body’s defense against foreign substances.

These results highlight the importance of traceability and how vital it is to know the origin of your fish. We are committed to continue to feed the world with a truly healthy, clean and sustainable Pacifical tuna, caught in the pristine waters of the PNA countries.

100% Committed To Our People Of The Pacific

It is thanks to the hard working men and women watching over the PNA tuna resources that consumers in 26 different countries are now able to buy sustainable MSC Pacifical certified tuna. It is indeed our people who make the PNA MSC tuna certification and the Pacifical project possible. At Pacifical we aim to empower our people in the PNA to continue making the best use of their resources and caring about the future availability of tuna for generations to come. Let us share with you a few projects we are currently working on:

Training Palau Entrepreneurs on Micro-canning Skills

This is exciting news! Last month PNA and Pacifical undertook our 3rd workshop in improving Pacific island food security by training entrepreneurs in the creation of micro canneries.

You may be wondering what this is all about. Well, the micro-canneries are being set up with the purpose of processing bycatch fish landed by tuna purse seiners in the PNA region. As you can imagine, there is quite some bycatch product available from the hundreds of tuna seiners that transship in the PNA ports each year. The micro-canneries, which are very small and fully manually operated and can be installed in a room, making it possible for this bycatch to be locally unloaded and to be canned purely for local consumption, meeting the local need for high protein, healthy and nutritious seafood, that can be stored without the need of refrigeration.

The first workshop took place in the Marshall Islands back in October 2016, the second in the Solomon Islands in February 2017. We are glad to see that there are now several small-scale canneries in operation in the region!

We can’t wait to see more local entrepreneurs take off!!! These PNA nationals are keen to complete the training and purchase machinery in order to start production as soon as possible. Total investment for a small business to get its hands on machinery and certification is no more than USD 2,000 and return on this investment can be made in the space of just weeks or months.

Internship opportunity for PNA Nationals in our Head Office

Our head office in Holland will soon be welcoming interns from the PNA. The end goal is to help young professionals from the region to learn and prepare themselves to overcome commercial challenges and make the best of the opportunities presented on a day to day basis within the tuna industry or local economy. This internship is intended to help dynamic PNA nationals acquire valuable hands-on knowledge, marketing and commercial business skills as well as the basic strategies required to successfully function in a commercial environment.

Likewise, the intern’s insightful contribution will help develop, expand and maintain our Pacifical marketing channels and supply chains for PNA caught MSC certified free-school skipjack and yellowfin tuna in the market place.

The first intern is planned to be from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, after this initial intern the scheme would be expanded PNA wide, offering a continued series of 3 month internships for PNA students or professionals going forward, each time from a different nation.

We are excited to have our new Pacifical colleagues joining us soon!

PNA Reaches 2,000 MSC Tuna Fishing Trips

This week we have reached a milestone of 2,000 MSC Trip Numbers issued since we started the journey of bringing larger volumes of sustainably caught tuna to the world; a landmark for our MSC certified PNA free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery. We are excited to share this breakthrough moment with you!

Since 2013, the PNA has maintained day by day one of the most complex and rigid chain of custodies out there; a strict multi-level filtered chain with zero tolerance on mixing eligible MSC free-school caught tuna with non-sustainable caught tuna. Any tuna vessel that wants to start an MSC trip in the PNA waters first needs to have its captain and crew trained in MSC procedures, which require the use of sustainable catching methods. Trained purse seiner crews can go on an MSC trip once they have applied to the PNA Office for an MSC Trip Number, and have been assigned an independent onboard observer, trained in MSC procedures. MSC Trip Numbers are issued for purse seine trips, as well as reefer carrier trips, vessels that transport the frozen tuna to the end destination.

These MSC Trip Numbers are required for the PNA to keep full control over the sustainable catching practices within its enormous zone. Our MSC certification covers a vast area, equivalent to a surface 40% larger than Europe and involving over 200 tuna purse seine vessels, 80 carriers, and 638 fully trained observers. This has now reached over 2,000 MSC trip numbers issued!!! It’s certainly not an easy task, but the PNA has proven to be more than equipped to take on such a massive operation.

Today we are proud to say that there are over 250 million consumer units of MSC certified tuna co-branded with the Pacifical logo being distributed in 26 countries spread over 4 continents. The PNA Pacifical start-up initiative, through its great success, is now reaching its scale-up phase. This milestone of 2,000 MSC Trip Numbers issued is the result of the efforts and close cooperation of all members across the chain; observers, fishing vessels, carriers, processors, supermarkets, distributors and many others have been established. This has all been made possible by the hard work of the PNA Office and Pacifical teams, and the use of the latest innovative satellite and computer technology required to trace vessel activity and collect observer data in real time.

Kiribati Now Has An EU Competent Authority

We are pleased to greet you today with very positive news: The European Union has now officially approved Kiribati as an EU competent authority!

The official decision has been published this week; please find the link to the EU Commission implementing decision here. (Current version: 14/12/2019)

This means that Pacifical is now able to offer MSC certified skipjack and yellowfin tuna to European partners from Kiribati flag fishing vessels and Kiribati processing facilities, allowing Pacifical’s EU clients to buy sustainable MSC certified tuna at zero percent duty. This is something we have been longing to offer to the European market for quite sometime, as Kiribati has one of the most tuna-rich EEZs in the PNA region.

As you might know, The Republic of Kiribati was previously handed a yellow card warning on IUU from the EU, and has since then been cooperating closely with the European Union in order to implement procedures and regulations that battle and prevent many EU concerns over potential IUU fishing, transshipment checks and landings, as well as VDS transparency. We are very happy to see that progress being made by the country has been recognized by the EU.

Brief Update On Our MSC Certification Reassessment

The PNA skipjack and yellowfin free school tuna fishery has undergone the standard five year MSC certification reassessment and we are pleased to have received some of the highest possible scores on nearly every point of this preliminary review. Certainly, the scores awarded reflect the fishery’s strong and robust management!

Acoura Marine is the third party Certification Assessment Body (CAB) and the assessment is based on three main principles, split into 28 separate criteria. A score of 80 or more means a pass with no condition; the PNA fishery scores 100 in seven separate areas, 90 or above in 10 more, and between 80 and 90 in a few others.

There are however three points in which the PNA fishery scores below 80 points, which have partly relied on RFMO consensus on Harvest Control Rules (HCR). These are still passing scores, but come with a condition. For the fourth annual surveillance audit, The PNA would need to:

• Demonstrate that Harvest Strategies are in place and are responsive to the state of the stock and are achieving certain stock management objectives.
• Ensure there are HCRs in regards to both species.
• Provide good management of Endangered, Threatened or Protected (ETP) species.

Well defined HCRs that are expected to keep the stock fluctuating around a target level are also required for retaining the MSC certification for the fishery in the future. In terms of ETP species, the PNA would need to demonstrate there is a strategy in place that is expected to ensure that the recovery of manta rays and devil rays is not hindered by the certification of the fishery.

A 30 day stakeholder comment period has now been opened on the preliminary PNA scores. We will continue to keep you posted.

How Will Stakeholders React To PNA’s Top MSC Scores?

An almost entirely green preliminary scoring card has been presented on the PNA skipjack and yellowfin tuna fishery, which is currently undergoing the standard five year MSC certification reassessment, as the third party assessor offers its draft report, opening the floor to stakeholder comments. The big question is; how will stakeholders react following a recent round table discussion in London, focused partly on the PNA certifications’ Chain of Custody?

Across three main principles, split into 28 separate criteria, Acoura Marine, the third party Certification Assessment Body (CAB) responsible for the PNA checkup has given the tuna fishery some of the highest possible scores on nearly every point of this preliminary assessment. A score of 80 or more means a pass with no condition, and the fishery scores 100 in seven separate areas, 90 or above in 10 more, and between 80 and 90 in a few others.

There are three criteria in which the PNA fishery scores below 80 points, and while still a pass, it means that conditions of improvement will be set in regards to these areas, if the scores remain the same. These three points cover harvest strategies for both skipjack and yellowfin, HCRs in regards to both species, and management of Endangered, Threatened or Protected (ETP) species.

So far, the pushing through of HCRs in the Western Pacific as a whole has been largely left to consensus and establishment in WCPFC meetings. However, due to slow progress within the RFMO, the PNA has shown keenness to establish its own measures in the waters covered by its eight Pacific island nation members.

By its fourth annual surveillance audit, should the fishery gain recertification, it will need to demonstrate that for both skipjack and yellowfin, Harvest Strategies are in place that are responsive to the state of the stock and will work to achieve certain stock management objectives. Well defined HCRs that are expected to keep the stock fluctuating around a target level are also required for retaining the MSC certification for the fishery.

In terms of ETP species, the condition set requires that by the fourth surveillance audit, the client would need to demonstrate there is a strategy in place that is expected to ensure that the recovery of manta rays and devil rays is not hindered by the certification of the fishery. The PNA has said that this aspect of the assessment is something new that has come up and it supports looking into this, if there is a species of concern.

In response to the draft report as a whole, PNA told Atuna that clearly the fishery is again well scored, reflecting its robust management.

There has been a string of criticism targeted at the PNA fishery in recent months, in which the certification of only free-school fishing, for vessels that also use FAD sets, has been concerning certain parties. This gives indication that numerous stakeholder comments could be submitted in relation to the PNA fishery’s reassessment. A 30 day period of consultation is now open for any stakeholders that wish to submit a reaction to the report; comments which can possibly have impact on the scoring in the final CAB report.

MSC Conscious Australia Rising Market For Thai Canners

Thailand’s tuna canners haven’t seen growth in many major markets in recent months, but thanks to their access to MSC certified catch, they are fulfilling a strong and increasing demand among Australian buyers.

During the first four months of this year, canners in Thailand sent nearly 15,000 tons of canned tuna to the Australian market, a nine percent, or around 1,200 ton increase on the year before, according to Thai Customs stats.

A source in Bangkok confirmed to Atuna that this is due to the fact there is a rising volume of Pacifical MSC certified tuna from the PNA, making its way to Australian buyers, where the market is a strong forward mover in terms of sustainability.

It has been stated in the past that the country has the largest availability of sustainable canned tuna in the world, with 43 percent having a sustainability certification. Some of this volume is also supplied by MSC pole and line skipjack from the Maldives, and part of the market is also sourcing non-MSC pole and line tuna from Indonesia. John West Australia, the market leading brand, started selling Pacifical MSC certified skipjack from the PNA in 2016, which now commands at least 95 percent of its range.

The rise in volume reaching this market means that Australian buyers purchased the second largest quantity of canned tuna from Thailand during January to April this year, after US importers. However in the US, which is the biggest market for Thai canned tuna, purchases dropped by 10 percent year on year.

It was recently explained by Henk Brus of Pacifical that the Thai capital of Bangkok has become the leader in MSC certified tuna production, with around 55,000 tons of Pacifical MSC whole round catch delivered there in 2016. That number is expected to significantly surpass 75,000 tons this year.

The strength of the demand for certified product in the Australian end market is outlined not only by the rise in volume from Thailand, which has seen squeezed sales in other major destinations, but also by the heightened CFR prices paid. Australian importers concluded purchases at an average per ton CFR price of USD 4,957 during the four month period, one of the highest recorded among all Thai canned tuna export markets.

This intensified demand from buyers in Australia meant that this single market accounted for nearly 10 percent of all Thai canned tuna shipments from Jan-April, a strengthened proportion from eight percent of the total volume in the same period last year.

Palau President: Close 30% Of World’s Oceans

Palau’s President is calling for the protection of 30 percent of the world’s oceans, urging countries to follow in the footsteps of the island nation, which has taken initiatives to close major parts of its waters to safe keep its tuna resource. Nations need to step up to ensure sustainable development of fisheries through a worldwide network of protected areas, he recommends.

Last year a major part of PNA nation Palau’s tuna rich 600,000 square meter EEZ was closed off to commercial fishing operations, with 20 percent being left open for free school fishing only, creating the first totally FAD-free area in the PNA region. The measure was taken to help replenish tuna stocks as it was believed that international fleets had exhausted populations and left domestic fishermen with little to catch.

As much as 80 percent of Palau’s waters are now a no-take marine sanctuary, which is one of the largest protected ocean areas in the world. Speaking at the United Nations Ocean Conference in New York, Palau’s President, Tommy Remengesau is calling for the rest of the world to follow suit, and recommends a similar closure of 30 percent of global oceans, with him suggesting 2030 as a target for this to happen.

Remengesau argues that countries should work together to establish a worldwide network of protected areas, “we must take into account the need for sustainable development and create opportunities for food security initiatives in developing countries enhancing small-scale and artisanal fisheries and building capacity in sustainable fisheries, tourism, and aquaculture,” he says.

WWF Advises Swedes To Only Buy MSC Tuna

In connection with the launch of the WWF Fiskguiden (Seafood Guide) 2017, WWF Sweden has published a report on tuna stocks, in which they conclude that “just over a 10% of all tuna gets a green light” in the Swedish market.

WWF advises Swedish consumers to look for the MSC logo when buying tuna, in a market where PACIFICAL MSC certified tuna from the PNA nations is available.

The report shows more than 75% of the tuna sold in Sweden has no information on the origin or nature of the species, which means that, with no details available on where and how the fish they’re eating was caught, consumers aren’t able to correctly determinate which is the best tuna to buy.

“By choosing MSC-certified tuna consumers will ensure they are purchasing tuna that does not deplete our oceans.” – WWF Sweden.

On the bright side, WWF also presented the report “Swedish seafood consumption – a growing diversity” which shows tuna consumption among Swedes is growing, with consumers now eating “an average of 11 kilos of fish per year per person”.

PACIFICAL MSC certified tuna can be found under the brands Abba and Garant in the Swedish market. Make sure you only purchase sustainable tuna to help preserve this wonderful species for future generations!

You can see the full WWF Seafood Guide 2017 here.