MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands' Fortuna incorporates MSC ice-class longliner 'Tronio'

The 1.058-ton 'Tronio' has a holding capacity and state-of-the-art frozen at sea factory which means it can process in excess of 300.000 kilos

Fortuna Ltd, one of the Falkland Islands leading fishing companies announced the incorporation to their Falklands registered fleet of the 55-meter ice class longliner 'Tronio', specifically designed for ice fishing in Antarctica.

 'Tronio' annual cycle begins in exploratory fisheries targeting Antarctic toothfish and conducting research on behalf of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, CCAMLR within the Antarctic belt.

In April the vessel is scheduled to join the MSC South Georgia Toothfish targeting Patagonian toothfish and with the season over, moves to more northerly waters to supplement with swordfish quota.

The 1.058-ton 'Tronio' has a substantial holding capacity and a state of the art frozen at sea factory which means it can process in excess of 300.000 kilos of premium quality product. She also carries half a million liters of fuel giving her a wide range of operation and impressive autonomy, which are dominant factors for successful fishing expeditions in some of the world's most remote fishing grounds where the closest port can be three weeks sailing away.

The investment is a significant development for Fortuna representing an expansion abroad that builds on Fortuna's strong position in domestic fisheries in the Falkland Islands, which include a significant shareholding in Falklands Toothfish Consolidated Fisheries Ltd., and the reputation of fishery stewardship in the Falklands.

“There is a great deal of scrutiny on you as an operator in Antarctica”, said James Wallace company representative.

“The high standard of fishery management that we are used to in the Falklands ensures people and has opened doors for us internationally”, he added.

As a certified MSC vessel, a traceability system is in operation monitoring daily production that customers can access to verify that all 'Tronio' product comes from fisheries that have been certified to the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) environmental standard for well managed and sustainable fisheries.

In addition to being one of the first toothfish fisheries to be MSC certified, the South Georgia Toothfish fishery is rated by the World Wildlife Foundation, WWF, and the Monterrey Bay Aquarium as the best sustainable source of toothfish in the world. Customers will often ask for South Georgia product by name.

'Tronio' is currently conducting research in Eastern Antarctica aimed at improving the understanding of population dynamics of both species of toothfish that inhabit the area.

The new longliner is scheduled to arrive in Stanley to offload at the end of the month.