It hardly ever happens that the three of worlds’ most influential conservation organizations issue a joint statement related to a tuna issue. However it seems that after recent negative statements made by the US based dolphin conservation group Earth Island Institute towards the PNA owned tuna trading company Pacifical, which will market MSC certified free school skipjack tuna globally, these three international environmental groups found it necessary to publically express their explicit joint support for the PNA MSC certification and how it deals with by-catch. The statement comes at the time that the global tuna industry gathers in Bangkok for the Tuna 2012 World Conference. With this, statement the NGO’s appear to give guidance to the tuna sector on which choices they should be making in regard to by-catch reduction and stock management.

Here below is the full official statement:

Pew, Greenpeace, and WWF wish to congratulate the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) for their increased commitments to the sustainable management of their tuna fisheries. PNA countries have taken steps that make them leaders in the implementation of the ecosystem approach to the management of tunas, ranging from prohibitions on the setting of nets on whale sharks to rules on FAD use in their waters. Best of all, these measures will be validated by 100% observer coverage.

These actions have earned the PNA free-school fishery an eco-label certification – the first of its kind for a purse seine skipjack tuna fishery.

The PNA approach to fisheries management has gone beyond traditional single-species management, and more fully embraces the ecosystem approach. Information coming from PNA purse seine vessels on tuna catch and by-catch (including sharks, turtles, and marine mammals) will be collected and transmitted to fisheries authorities in full accordance with international best standards, exceeding the measures in place in similar fisheries worldwide. Specifically, the PNA should be praised for further advancing international standards by committing to independent at-sea observers to verify catches of dolphins, sharks, whales, and turtles on purse seine vessels. We further recognize PNA’s efforts to promote the closure of marine areas to all purse seine fishing as a way to better achieve ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The document is signed by:

Amanda Nickson
Director
Global Tuna Conservation Campaign
Pew Environment Group

Alfred Schumm
Director
Smart Fishing Initiative
World Wide Fund for Nature

Sari Tolvanen
Project Leader
Global Tuna Overfishing Campaign
Greenpeace International