IN recognition of its sustainable fishing practices, a component of the South African albacore tuna pole and line fishery, represented by tuna trading company ICV Africa, has become the first fishery to successfully achieve MSC certification, after taking part in the In-Transition to MSC (ITM) program since 2020.
A second client group from the same fishery, represented by the South African Sustainable Tuna Association (SASTUNA) is currently in assessment against the MSC Fisheries Standard.
The MSC initially engaged with the fishery in 2018, through the four-year Fish for Good project, funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery, which aimed to guide fisheries in South Africa, Indonesia and Mexico towards more sustainable fishing practices.
In 2020, the fishery entered the ITM program, a pilot project designed to help fisheries improve their practices within a five-year period in order to become certified against the MSC’s exacting Fisheries Standard. After passing the ITM entry requirements, the fishery then applied for, and received, funding from the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund in 2020 to support the costs associated with making improvements to their practices.
Around 2 500 people work in the fishery, which operates largely out of the harbours at Cape Town and Hout Bay.
The total catch under assessment for ICV Africa’s certificate is 2 500 metric tons – representing nearly half of the total catch volume for the fishery. Most of the albacore are sold to processors for canning and destined for supermarkets in the US and Europe.
While there is very little bycatch from the pole and line method, the fishery needed to improve data collection on what species were being encountered.
A fishery observer team was appointed at the end of 2020, which enabled the fishery to have a clear monitoring system in place to collect catch information at-sea.
A review of endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species that may interact with the fishery was also completed, and the fishery implemented training on the safe handling of ETPs, particularly seabirds, to ensure they avoid harming such species.
Michelle Bellinger, CEOr at ICV Africa, said: “Sustainability is integral to our business. Fishing sustainably is not only about ensuring that tuna stocks remain healthy; it is also about protecting the ocean ecosystem and the other species that our vessels interact with. Our clients, and increasingly the end consumers, expect it of us. We have always believed in MSC certification and the benefits that the recognition could bring to our fishery and the work that we do.”
Clyde Bodenham, president of the South African Tuna Association, said: “We recognise the many years of work undertaken, the outcomes of which has created an enabling environment for the fishery to confidently proceed with the [MSC] certification process. The Fish for Good project coupled with the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund grant awarded to address the actions identified in the fishery improvement project, succeeded in creating a favourable platform where a number of risks were minimised.”
Michael Marriott, program director: Africa, of MSC, added: “Congratulations are due to ICV Africa for becoming only the second fishery, and first tuna fishery, in South Africa to achieve MSC certification. At the same time, we are also celebrating the success of the MSC’s ITM program.”
After five years running the ITM program as a pilot, the MSC is planning to launch a permanent version of the program, called the MSC Improvement Program, later in 2024.
