A Panamaian tuna and mahi mahi longline fishery has relaunched its fishery improvement project (FIP). Panalang Seafood firm had the initial FIP but it was suspended due to local political troubles. Now, several other US producers and partners -- Bay Hill Seafood Sales, Tasty Seafood, Alfa Gamma Group, and Bajamar Seafood -- have joined the sustainable initiative.

The Panamanian Center for Development and Sustainable Fisheries (CeDePesca) is collaborating in the restart of the FIP. Panalang Seafood, which exports fresh and frozen tuna from the central American nation to the US, said the participation of the American partners will boost the new project to go beyond the achievements of the original to achieve MSC certification, reported SeafoodSource.

Led by the Bermeo Tuna World Capital (BTWC), three of the crucial cities involved in the tuna sector gathered at the UN World Conference being held this week in Lisbon, Portugal. This conference brought together industry representatives from Bermeo, Manta, and Seychelles, all three with ties to Spain. Major Spanish fishing firms are based in Bermeo while their purse seine fleets are active in Seychelles and Manta.The BTWC presented the International Declaration for Tuna Sustainability at this event. 

On June 29, Ignacio Serrats, President of BTWC announced that it would be a global alliance, and year after year, it will be adding new editions to the Declaration's objectives that consolidate with the UN 2030 Agenda and Goals. Also, the organization declared the Bermeo Tuna Forum, a new international event on the sustainability of the tuna fishing sector will take place in 2023 in Bilbao and Bermeo in Spain. With this move, BTWC aims to economically develop the town of Bermeo.

The Japanese university of Kindai has done it again. From just being a protection tool during COVID-19, face masks have been given a fun and innovative upgrade by students from the Fisheries Research department. Under the supervision of professor Akimitsu Hirota, they experimented on their Tuna Fish mask pattern as they believed that these coverings can be enhanced by the Augmented Reality (AR) filters, whether people are shopping or touring.

One can snap photos with the new photo app feature. The so-called Wonder Mask has a unique pattern printed on it that can be used to set off AR filters for pictures taken with a smartphone app in specific spots. There are a total of five different filters including a gigantic tuna breaking through a building. The research team intends to introduce the Wonder Mask to businesses and at event locations in the near future. Kindai is renowned for its research on growing bluefin from larvae.