FCF Kick-Starts Program To Mitigate Seabird Bycatch In Longline Fishery

Taiwanese tuna trader FCF began collaborating with two NGOs earlier in August to reduce seabird bycatch within its longline fishing fleet. The country has the second largest longliner fleet in the world after China. FCF is working with the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to “enhance professional knowledge and best practices among fishing vessels, aiming to significantly reduce seabird bycatch and the impact of fisheries on marine ecosystems,” said the company in a press statement.

Some of their core activities include providing port-based outreach to vessel owners and captains in Taiwan, covering seabird conservation, reducing bycatch threats, and mitigation practices such as tori lines, night setting, and hook shielding. FCF and the NGOs will also monitor the effectiveness of this program. “This effort supports FCF’s goals of achieving MSC certification and advancing Fishery Improvement Projects which sets a benchmark for sustainable fishing practices,” added the trader whose longline albacore catches in the South and North Atlantic Ocean recently got MSC certified.