Atlantic Ocean tuna - purse seine (Capsen & Grand Bleu S.A.)

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Overview

This FIP has entered into the full assessment process for MSC certification and remains active on FisheryProgress, but reporting requirements are reduced. The FIP no longer reports on environmental progress but will confirm its full assessment status at each progress report due date. The FIP will continue meet the social responsibility progress reporting requirements until it achieves MSC certification.

Date Entered Full Assessment: Jan 2024

In Full Assessment Link

The fishery being assessed is the Capsen S.A. Atlantic Ocean purse seine tuna fishery. The fishery targets Atlantic bigeye (Thunnus obesus), eastern Atlantic skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and Atlantic yellowfin (T. albacares) tunas through free-school and FAD-associated purse seine sets. The fishing vessels are flagged to Senegal and operate in the following Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and the high seas: Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The fishery is managed regionally by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in the Atlantic Ocean.

FIP Description 

The fishery being assessed is the Capsen S.A. Atlantic Ocean purse seine tuna fishery. The fishery targets Atlantic bigeye (Thunnus obesus), eastern Atlantic skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and Atlantic yellowfin (T.

FIP Objective(s) 
  • Sustainable Fish Stocks – To ensure tuna and other primary species catches across the Atlantic Ocean do not exceed sustainable levels
  • Minimising Environmental Impacts – To promote the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management and promote best practices with FAD fishing
  • Effective Management – To strengthen governance systems in Flag States, RFMO and the Atlantic Ocean Purse Seine Tuna (Dongwon) fishery.

Overall we aim to meet an unconditional pass of the MSC Fisheries Standard by April 2025.

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
April 2020
April 2025
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Next Progress Report Due 
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Bigeye Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus obesus
Common Name 
Skipjack Tuna
Scientific Name
Katsuwonus pelamis
Common Name 
Yellowfin Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus albacares
Gear Type 
Purse Seine
Purse Seine-Unassociated
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 34 (Atlantic, Eastern Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Senegal
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Mauritania
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Cabo Verde
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Guinea-Bissau
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Guinea
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Sierra Leone
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country 
Liberia
Geographic Scope 
Entire EEZ
Country Flag of Vessel 
Senegal
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
ICCAT
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
50,000 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
510,822 metric tons
Landings Date 
April 2022
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
April 01, 2020
39% 39% 21%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF

A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.

  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Apr 2024
Target End Date
Apr 2025

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Key Traceability
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Emily Wardrop
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
13544