Ecuador South Eastern Pacific swordfish - longline

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Overview

FRIGOLAB SANMATEO, PROPEMAR, and TRANSMARINA will work together to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification for the fishery.

This Fishery Improvement Project builds on the results of the MSC Pre-Assessment of the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) longline fishery carried out by independent consultant Cynthia Fernandez in March 2019.

In this pre-assessment, two Units of Certification (UoC) were identified:

UoC1: Artisanal Ecuadorian longline fleet (Nodrizas)

  • Gear: Longline
  • Target species: Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
  • Stock: South East Pacific (EPO)
  • Fishing areas: FAO Zone 87/ Ecuadorian EEZ
  • RFMO: IATTC

UoC2: Industrial Ecuadorian longline fleet

  • Gear: Longline
  • Target specie: Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
  • Stock: South East Pacific (EPO)
  • Fishing areas: FAO Zone 87
  • RFMO: lATTC

The fishing grounds of the Ecuadorian artisanal large pelagic fishery are located between 05°00'N and 15°00'S, and up to the 100°00'W meridian of the Galapagos archipelago. Ecuadorian artisanal fisheries are multi-species fisheries that operate throughout the year and are defined by two main seasons related to the targeted large pelagic fish species.  One is mainly oriented towards mahi-mahi fishing and the other includes tuna, billfishes, and sharks. 

This fishery started gradually in the mid-1970s, but experienced a major expansion during the 1990s and 2000s. The traditional fishing areas, which were initially less than 40 m from the coast, have gradually expanded over the years to 1,400 m from the mainland coast, passing through the Galapagos archipelago, establishing what is now known as the "oceanic-artisanal fishery" in Ecuador.

The artisanal fleet consists of a mother ship (mother ship) which is defined as a fishing vessel that tows a series of artisanal longliners (made of fibreglass) to distant fishing grounds, and whose purpose is to fish, supply water, fuel, nurseries, bait and other fishing inputs and in turn store the catch obtained by artisanal fishing vessels in their farms (Agreement 407. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries. 12 October 2011- Art. 1).  In the billfish fishery (including swordfish and other larger pelagics) up to a maximum of six small fibreglass trawlers will be allowed (Agreement 407. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries. 12 October 2011- Art. 3). In 2019, the number of motherships was 106 according to data from the Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources. It is estimated that mothership operations produce up to 80% of the total catch of the artisanal fishery.

High seas fishing is not regulated by any management measures except the prohibition of fishing in Galapagos waters.

The industrial longline fleet is composed of vessels up to 50 m in length, with motorised gear for medium-depth longlining targeting a range of large pelagic species, including tuna and billfish.  In 2019, the fleet would be composed of 93 vessels, according to information provided by the Undersecretariat for Fisheries Resources.

FIP Description 

FRIGOLAB SANMATEO, PROPEMAR, and TRANSMARINA will work together to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification for the fishery.

FIP Objective(s) 

This FIP is being developed to achieve MSC certification for the Eastern South Pacific swordfish longline fishery and is expected to start full assessment in December 2024.

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
June 2021
December 2024
Next Progress Report Due 
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Swordfish
Scientific Name
Xiphias gladius
Gear Type 
Longline
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 87 (Pacific, Southeast)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Ecuador
Geographic Scope 
the entire country
Country Flag of Vessel 
Ecuador
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
IATTC
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
1,200 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
25,000 metric tons
Landings Date 
June 2021
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
June 01, 2021
36% 46% 14% 4%
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.
Mar 2024
Target End Date
Dec 2024
Additional Impacts:
Traceability

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
FIP for Swordfish - Independent Consultant
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Guillermo Morán
Phone 
+593984814782
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.
15810