FishSource

Western Central Pacific Ocean tuna - longline (Yaizu) (FIP)

Status: Completed

FIP Lead: Fukuichi Fishery Co., Ltd. (FFCL), Japan Fisheries Certification Support (JFCS), Yaizu Fisheries Cooperative (YFC)

Comments:

Fukuichi Western and Central Pacific Ocean longline bigeye, yellowfin and albacore tuna- certified as of March 1st, 2024.

https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/fukuichi-western-and-central-pacific-ocean-longline-bigeye-yellowfin-and-albacore-tuna/@@view

1. FIP Development	May 19	Fishery assessment or scoping document made public 20 May 2019 — MSC pre-assessment report
2. FIP Launch	Oct 19	Confirmation of project participants 30 October 2019 — MoU of participants
2. FIP Launch	Nov 19	Workplan made public 10 November 2019 — FIP workplan
3. FIP Implementation	Sep 21	FIP activities undertaken 15 September 2021 — The Japan Fisheries Certification Support held a stakeholder meeting with the Fisheries Agency Japan, where the groups discussed the development and implementation of harvest control rules (HCRs) by the WCPFC. 31 December 2020 — Western and Central Pacific Ocean tuna – longline (Yaizu) Fishery FIP progress report 9 December 2020 — Bait were identified at the species level and basic information about fisheries management in China and Vietnam was collected. 1 December 2020 — FIP created a full list of P1 and P2 species based on catch data and bait purchase records 11 August 2020 — Virtual meeting held in the summer of 2020; annual report to the commission 1 December 2019 — Onboard observer data made available from the 2019 fishing season demonstrates that shark finning is not occuring in the UoA.
4. Improvements in Fishing Practices and Fishery Management	Jan 22	Verifiable improvement in policy/management and fishing practices 25 January 2022 — Increase to PI 2.2.2: Regulations are in place for blue shark (secondary species) release and there are regulations for bait fisheries, including seasonal closure and mesh size. 25 January 2022 — Increase to PI score 2.2.3 & 2.3.3; Logbook and observer data have been made available to inform a blue shark stock assessment. 26 January 2021 — All sharks, including Silky sharks and Oceanic Whitetip sharks, are released. Interaction with sea turtles and sea birds are limited for this fishery 26 January 2021 — Using logbook data, all interacted species were identified and classiefied either Main/minor or Primary/Secondary/ETP species
5. Improvements on the Water	Dec 21	Verifiable improvement on the water 17 December 2021 — Increase to PI score 2.2.1; The profile of main secondary species has changed due to the change in vessels used by the FIP. The Blue shark and amberstripe scad are identified as main secondary species.
6. MSC certification (optional)	Mar 24	MSC certificate made public 1 March 2024 — Fukuichi Western and Central Pacific Ocean longline bigeye, yellowfin and albacore tuna- certified as of March 1st, 2024.