Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. (June 21, 2021) – FCF Co., Ltd. (FCF) and its partner purse seine fishing vessels were granted MSC fishery certification for FAD fishing on June 07, 2021.
The certification process has been a remarkable journey involving a vast array of vessel owners and operators, our various supply chain partners, fisheries management entities and the independent certification body, SCS Global Services. After a comprehensive review of the fishery data and information provided by the vessel operators, as well as a thorough evaluation that included direct interviews regarding vessel operations and compliance with relevant conservation and management measures, the associated or “FAD” set portion of the WPSTA Western and Central Pacific Skipjack and Yellowfin Purse Seine Fishery (WPSTA MSC Fishery) has been certified as “sustainable” against the MSC standard by pursuing the best practices for the fishery.
A MSC certified fishery has to ensure the target stock is healthy, that the fishing method employed leads to lower-levels of environmental impact, and the fishery is well managed and implemented by the cognizant entities with solid Conservation Management Measures (CMMs) in place such as FAD management and bycatch handling. The WPSTA MSC Fishery becomes the one of the biggest certified “FAD/associated” tuna fishery in the world.
With MSC’s latest requirements relating to compartmentalization effective in 2023, that both FAD/associated and unassociated sets on the same purse seine fishing trip have to be certified, those 22 vessels in the WPSTA MSC Fishery are estimated to annually produce more than 150,000 metric tons of certified skipjack and yellowfin tuna. The skipjack tuna sourced from this fishery will be eventually making its way to the market as tuna loins or canned tuna, and then be available to the global markets.
“FCF continues to improve the sustainability of tuna fisheries,” said Max Chou, President of FCF. “We are delighted to work with a group of outstanding partners to expand our sustainable supply to offer more best- in- class MSC certified tuna to our valued customers. “
FCF is aiming for 100% sustainable sourcing in the near future. Accordingly, FCF is facilitating Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIP) or Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifications across all oceans, and supporting scientific-based best conservation and management practices to reach a viable balance between commercial interests and marine conservation. With more than 350,000 mt of MSC skipjack tuna originating from WPSTA MSC Fishery and other certified fisheries in Western Central Pacific Ocean in 2022, we view this as a milestone closer to a fully sustainable supply chain. FCF will continue to provide the sustainable, socially responsible, traceable and high quality seafood to the customers through its innovative and integrated supply chain solution platform.
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