SCS Global Services (SCS) announces the first-ever Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fishery Certification in the Philippines – the Philippine Small-Scale Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) Handline Fishery.
This landmark certification of small-scale fishers is quite rare, and was no easy feat. To reach this accomplishment, the fishery undertook a decade-long fishery improvement project (FIP) starting in 2011, and a year-and-a-half long independent assessment by SCS. Despite four major typhoons in the fall of 2020, which devastated many fishing villages and vessels under assessment, the client group persevered to complete the certification in October 2021.
This certification represents a major milestone and unique opportunity for small-scale fishers to better support the livelihoods and communities of small-scale handline fishermen in the Philippines.
The client group, run by the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership (PTHP), consists of more than 500 fishing vessels weighing three gross tonnes (GT) or less that harvest Yellowfin Tuna with handline fishing gear in Occidental-Mindoro Strait and Gulf of Lagonoy regions. Unlike large-scale industrial fishing operations, smaller operations often lack resources to tackle complex social and environmental challenges.
The MSC fishery certification supports the Filipino municipal fishers in gaining access to global markets, and provides an opportunity to participate in major management and governance improvements in the Philippines, a big win for nearly 2,000 individual fishers and the large archipelagic fishing nation more broadly. PTHP also serves as a potential model for other municipal fishing communities to pursue MSC certification as a means of improving livelihoods and supporting durable coastal communities.
Bill Holden, Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager, Marine Stewardship Council said:
“PTHP demonstrates leadership amidst the many small-scale fishers internationally for their collaborative work in ensuring sustainable tuna fishing. We look forward to seeing the ripple of PHTP’s sustainably fished yellowfin tuna positively impact the supply chain, as it’s sold across the globe.”
Read more:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/landmark-msc-certified-sustainable-fishery-090108052.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJm13rckrw0lrf84ZhcDjvLwI9DTE3IZhD0eCdeyfSDqHEuFdUsuNR0XK-gD9owpQ3HqN6rM9HlNjoif2RksDu-3kzLvmNLHhNdiy5k7pSpCjsDeUCse9qo3jQMmZBDy3jjtnidnaJ41hDEWC-_1ibg8wkYT5rv91mzylvTBIhG8