FishSource

Japan Tokyo Bay sea perch - purse seine (FIP)

Last Updated:

Progress Rating: A

Evaluation Start Date: 2018-01-01

Type: Comprehensive

Status: Active

FIP Lead: Ocean Outcomes (OO), Seafood Legacy (SL), UMITO Partners Inc. (UPI)

Stock Profile Link
Japanese seabass - Japanese seabass

Comments:

FIP has reported stage 4 results within the last 12 months- FIP remains A rated.

1. FIP Development	Mar 16	Fishery assessment or scoping document made public 28 March 2016 — MSC pre-assessment made public
2. FIP Launch	Nov 16	Confirmation of project participants 1 November 2016 — Participants confirmed
2. FIP Launch	Jan 18	Workplan made public 1 January 2018 — 2016-2021 workplan made public
3. FIP Implementation	Apr 22	FIP activities undertaken 28 April 2022 — FFCA held their first formal meeting to discuss progress about the stock management of the Tokyo Bay sea perch with regard to the revsion of the National Fishery Act. 1 October 2021 — Voluntary resource management plan was updated in October 2021 21 July 2021 — Habitat impact assessment conducted; assessment determined that reasons for net damage due to vessel interaction 1 May 2021 — Meeting held; fishery at the local scale has decided to use the stock assessment result to influence HCR 31 March 2021 — A voluntary stock assessment analysis was conducted with Kaiko Bussan; Data demonstrates that the stockis transitioning from a decreasing trend to a recovering trend 1 May 2020 — The national fishery law change in 2018 has included long-term objectives aligned with MSC standards at high-level; The sea perch has been added as the target species to be assessed 1 May 2020 — Management decision process has been identified 1 May 2020 — Improved communications between the fishermen and FCA through multiple study sessions 1 May 2018 — A voluntarily developed resource management plan was submitted by the fishery coop to the Chiba prefectural government that is responsible for monitoring implantation of measures in the plan, such as time and area closures. 1 May 2018 — FIP in discussion with the JRA on long term objectives as part of management plan 1 May 2018 — A catch sampling protocol has been initiated for the Tokyo Bay Sea Perch fishery. The protocol involves keeping records of ETP species accidentally caught during fishing activities. This information willl be recorded in logbooks on a daily basis. 1 May 2018 — Opportunities for consultation are being investigated 1 January 2018 — Fishery impacts on ETP species and on the ecosystem are evaluated and if needed, a strategy for minimizing those impacts is developed. 1 January 2018 — Management decisions process is unclear. The project will provide available evidence that the new management system avoid disputes while complying with any judicial decisions arising from any legal challenges. 1 January 2018 — Harvest strategy designed to meet objectives, be responsive to stock abundance, and which includes harvest control rules is developed 1 November 2016 — FIP working with client and scientists based on available information to evaluate status of unassessed stocks that are main components of the harvest 1 November 2016 — A first examination of the current long-term objectives in the national fishery management system in Japan was conducted.
4. Improvements in Fishing Practices and Fishery Management	Jan 22	Verifiable improvement in policy/management and fishing practices 31 January 2022 — Increase to PI 1.2.3; Catch information for all gear-types has been reported through a fishery co-op system and eventually and will be entered into national fishery database 31 October 2021 — Increase to PI 3.2.3; FIP has acquired the Funabashi Fishery co-op resource management plan, providing management options for targeted species as well as compliance monitoring methods for each gear type 1 May 2021 — FIP has obtained the Funabashi Fishery Coop resource management plan with that new restrictions have been implemented and evidence of the level of compliance with rules. 18 January 2021 — Increase in BMT score 3.1.2; the FIP has identified the consultation processes for management purposes 5 January 2021 — Increase in BMT score 2.3.2; Based on the catch sampling information collected over the past years, no ETP species were incidentally caught or entangled by the participan fishing vessel 5 January 2021 — Increase in BMT score 2.3.3; There has been ETP species encounter monitoring by the fishery for the last two years. Currently the fishery is trying to create a electronic reporting system as well. 5 January 2021 — Increase in BMT score 1.2.4; stock assessment completed 5 January 2021 — Increase in BMT score 3.1.1; dispute resolution process has been identified 1 November 2018 — Increase in PI 2.4.2 - lack of interaction of the fishery with the habitat determines that no management strategy is needed 1 November 2018 — Increase in PI scores 2.2.2 and 2.2.3 - the information available about the lack of secondary species determines that respective management measures are not needed
5. Improvements on the Water	Dec 19	Verifiable improvement on the water 16 December 2019 — Increase in MSC PI score 2.3.1. based on increased information that the impact of fishery is miniminal on by catch species 16 December 2019 — In the recent audit, the score for PI 2.1.1. was adjusted as there are no primary species in the UoA as previously assigned. PI score change to 80 1 November 2018 — Increase in PI score 2.4.1 - there is evidence that the UoA is highly unlikely to reduce structure and function of the commonly encountered habitats to a point where there would be serious or irreversible harm 1 November 2018 — Increase in PI score 2.2.1 - the main target species is identified and no other species are caugth (no secondary species)
6. MSC certification (optional)	—	MSC certificate made public