MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

St. Helena fishery seeks MSC sustainability label

The St Helena pole and line tuna fisheries for yellow-fin, big-eye, albacore and skipjack tuna have entered full assessment for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate of sustainability.

The St Helena tuna fisheries yield around 500 tonnes of tuna each year. In 2006, the catch equalled 363 tonnes of yellow-fin, 25 tonnes of big-eye, 62 tonnes of albacore and 88 tonnes of skipjack tuna. All of the fisheries will be included in the assessment. The domestic fleet features ten small fishing boats all operating within sight of the Island of St Helena in the south Atlantic. Similar boats have fished for tuna around St Helena for over 50 years and the fishery is managed locally by the Directorate of Fisheries of the Government of St Helena. "It is hoped that by gaining MSC certification for the St Helena tuna fisheries that it will increase its potential for international marketing and thereby achieve better value in the long term which eventually could be passed back to harvesters – the fishermen themselves," said Terry Richards, General Manager of the St Helena Fisheries Corporation. If the fishery passes the assessment, the certifier estimates that tuna caught after 31 March will be eligible to bear the MSC logo. "Following the American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) fisheries' successful certification we have also seen increased interest in certification from other tuna fisheries around the world. As the third organisation to enter its tuna fisheries for full assessment, I am confident that – if certified – the St Helena fisheries will experience the marketplace success they are seeking," said Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC. The clients for this assessment are the St Helena Development Agency, in Partnership with the Directorate of Fisheries, St Helena Government, St Helena Fisheries Corporation, Argos Atlantic Cold Stores Ltd, the St Helena Fishermen's Association and St Helena Canning Company. Independent certifier Food Certification International will carry out the assessment. (FIS).-