he first South Korean-owned fishery has achieved certification to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) international standard for sustainable fishing. The certification applies to free school yellowfin and skipjack tuna caught by 12 purse seine freezer vessels operating in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) and owned by Korea’s leading fishing company, Dongwon Industries.
Dongwon Industries is one of ten of the world’s largest seafood companies, taking part in the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative. The initiative which started in 2016 aims to stimulate transformative change towards ocean stewardship. The MSC was an advisor to the inaugural SeaBOS convening in Soneva Fushi in November 2016.
The certified fishery was assessed to the 28 principles for sustainable fishing set out in the MSC Fisheries Standard by conformity assessment body, Control Union. The most recent stock assessments show that yellowfin and skipjack stocks in the WCPO are sustainable. With 99 percent the catch made up of skipjack and yellowfin, the fishery has minimal impacts on other species. It also has strong management and governance in place. This includes 100 percent observer coverage and real time monitoring via a remote Fisheries Monitoring Centre in Busan.
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