Back to news article list

Further Delay In Maldives MSC Certification Of Pole And Lineff

24 January 2011 Maldives
By Atuna

The assessment for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) of Maldivian tuna fisheries for yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack is still in progress. After a first delay last summer, the assessment process was expected to finish last December. According to a MSC spokeswoman, MSC is now reviewing the assessment report of the independent certifier Moody Marine.

The assessment contains all domestically registered pole and line and handline vessels, the only fishing methods legally allowed in Maldivian waters, targeting tuna species within the coastal waters and the exclusive economic zone of the Maldives. With an estimated total annual catch of 118.000 tons of tuna, this represents the largest tuna fishery to enter the MSC program to date.

According to MSC, they are now reviewing the assessment report. The final statement on the assessment won’t be published until all responses on pending questions are received. Until the publication, MSC won’t comment on any details of the assessment process. According to certifier Moody Marine the process can take “another two weeks”.

The delay of the certification, that will confirm the standards for sustainable and well-managed fisheries, is occurring just after the latest developments in the UK market focussed on pole and line catches. This month companies John West and Co-operative Group stated that they will be using more pole and line for their canned tuna. The environmental group Greenpeace started a UK campaign for more sustainable catched tuna in cans in the UK market, where pole and line was mentioned as the most sustainable option considering the lack of by-catch of other species.

Maldivian skipjack tuna has traditionally been the mainstay of the domestic market but is now exporting substantial volumes of its canned and pouch production to Europe and whole round frozen skipjack tuna raw material to Thailand.  Also bigeye and yellowfin tuna are sold whole frozen fish. Larger fish is loined and a small amount is exported as chilled, fresh fish. The higher-value handline tuna is sold fresh or frozen to Europe, the USA and Japan.

In 2009, total tuna exports from Maldives to the EU amounted to 2203 M/T of canned product in volume. Its current pole and line catch for skipjack is estimated at about 25.000 M/T of whole round annually. Current demand in the UK market for pole and line in 2012 is estimated to be at least 30.000 M/T in finished processed – canned product.