INACTIVE Philippines yellowfin tuna - handline

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Reason for Inactivity
  • At FIP's request

Overview

The tuna fisheries exploiting the western central Pacific tuna stocks are the largest of its kind, representing an annual catch of its kind, representing an annual catch of over two million tons. Bluefin and albacore tuna only represent marginal catches in this area because they are predominantly distributed in temperate rather than tropical waters. The skipjack and yellowfin stocks are estimated to be in good health, whereas bigeye is estimated overfished. While skipjack is smaller and usually serves the market of canned tuna, yellowfin, bigeye and bluefin tuna are the large tuna species that serve the markets of raw tuna products e.g. in the form of sushi. Hence, among the tuna serving these high-end markets, only yellowfin can be presumed to be in good health.

The fishery targeting yellowfin tuna mainly consists of industrial purse seiners that catch about 65% and longliners that take 20% of the catch. Of the total 500,000 t estimated to be caught annually, the handline fishery for large tunas only represents a marginal cause of mortality, catching an estimated 20,000 t annually, or <5% of the total yellowfin catch. This fishery occurs in the Philippines and Indonesia and is quite unique (the only similar fishery is in the Maldives). Despite its low impact on exploited stocks, the fishery has a high social impact, representing at least 10,000 artisanal fishermen. The handline tuna fishery occurs across the Philippines and, thanks to the gear used and fishing method, is highly selective. Large yellowfin tuna are caught using a circle hook baited with squid or small pelagic fish that is set at a depth around 100 m, where large tuna are found. The fishery comprises a number of small-scale outrigger vessels made of wood and nylon of sizes ranging from 3-20 m length, with a majority around 6-10 m length, and consists of crews between 1 and 8 people that would stay at sea for 1-7 days. See the fishery profile for more details on the fishery.

The FIP aims to improve the small-scale handline fishery for tuna using a stepwise approach by: 1) moving the fishery towards compliance with legal requirements and non-IUU conditions; and 2) building management structures and processes that would make the fishery eligible for MSC certification.

The Philippines yellowfin tuna FIP started in 2014 but the scoring at that time was based on a document that doesn't meet the requirements of Fisheryprogress. Therefore Year 0 is considered as 2017.

Initial Improvement Recommendations

  • Implement vessel registration and FCR for ARTESMAR® suppliers in three pilot sites - DONE
  • Design CDS and traceability system from vessel to export and implement it for all ARTESMAR® suppliers - DONE
  • Design database for capturing all FCR, CDS and traceability information and implement it for all ARTESMAR® suppliers - DONE
  • Design database for capturing all FCR, CDS and traceability information and implement it for all ARTESMAR® suppliers - DONE
  • Implement full documentation of fishing trips and capture data for ARTESMAR landing sites - WORK IN PROGRESS
  • Lobbying with BFAR to improve enforcement, management evaluation, and collaboration with the RFMO around Harvest Strategy and Control Rules - WORK IN PROGRESS
  •  Knowledge transfer to fishermen for better handling to improve quality, and thus incomes through better pricing – WORK IN PROGRESS
  • Improve cost-benefit control of fishery stakeholders – WORK IN PROGRESS
FIP Description 

The tuna fisheries exploiting the western central Pacific tuna stocks are the largest of its kind, representing an annual catch of its kind, representing an annual catch of over two million tons.

FIP Objective(s) 

The General objective of ARTESMAR® is to meet the MSC Fisheries Standards by 2024

    • Establish vessel registration scheme with the national fishery authorityBFAR to be applied nationwide by 2024.
    • Extend fish catch report FCR implementation from pilot sites to other ARTESMAR® suppliers by 2024.
    • Define management structures with BFAR to interpret FCR information and create mechanisms for intervention by 2024.
    • Awareness campaign on reporting secondary and ETP species by 2024.
    • Organize fishery stakeholders in communities, optimize economics and capacities, and participate in management decisions by 2024.
    FIP Type 
    Comprehensive
    FIP Stage 
    Stage 5: Improvements on the Water
    Start and Projected End Dates
    April 2017
    April 2024
    Update 
    This FIP started in 2014 but the scoring at that time was based on a document that doesn't meet the requirements of Fisheryprogress. Therefore Year 0 is considered as 2018.
    Next Progress Report Due 
    Wednesday, May 31, 2023
    Species 
    Common Name 
    Yellowfin Tuna
    Scientific Name
    Thunnus albacares
    Gear Type 
    Handline
    Location
    FAO Major Fishing Area
    Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central)
    Exclusive Economic Zones
    Country 
    Philippines (the)
    Geographic Scope 
    Entire country
    Regional Fisheries Management Organization
    WCPFC
    Landings
    Estimated Total FIP Landings 
    400 metric tons
    Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
    15,000 metric tons
    Landings Date 
    May 2021
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    FIP Leads

    Organization Name 
    Meliomar Inc. / Blueyou Consulting Ltd
    Organization Type 
    Consultant
    Primary Contact 
    Guillemette Forato
    Phone 
    +63 906 084 1032
    Organization Name 
    Meliomar Inc.
    Organization Type 
    Industry
    Primary Contact 
    Oscar Almaden
    Phone 
    +63 (918) 916 74 82
    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.
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