COMPLETED Western and Central Pacific Ocean tropical tuna - purse seine (OPAGAC)

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Overview

What is a Completed FIP?

Completed FIPs are those that have independent verification that they have achieved their environmental objectives and/or graduated to MSC full assessment or other program assessment. Completed FIPs no longer report on their environmental performance but may choose to voluntarily report on their social performance.

Date of Completion: Aug 2020

Explanation of Completion: This FIP entered MSC full assessment in 2020 and achieved certification in 2021 but it is continuing to report on its social performance.

Completion Link

This FIP encompasses all global tropical tuna stocks of three species: bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) for a total of 13 Units of Certification. In the case of this specific sub-FIP for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, we deal with three stocks of tunas - one each for skipjack,  bigeye tuna, and yellowfin tuna.

Because of the set-up of FisheryProgress, the overarching FIP was broken into four sub-FIPs according to the relevant RFMO (IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC, and WCPFC). The reasoning behind this division is that each RFMO has different scores and actions for the various MSC principles, in particular for Principles 1 & 3. Had we grouped all RFMOs together, we would not have been able to present or track the various activities and timelines in a cohesive, clear and comprehensive manner.

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FIP Description 

This FIP encompasses all global tropical tuna stocks of three species: bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) for a total of 13 Units of Certification.

FIP Objective(s) 

This FIP is working towards completing the following objectives by fall 2021:

  1. Achieve MSC certification for the OPAGAC industrial purse seine tuna fleet in three oceans and four RFMOs, within the next 5 years.
  2. Unify the industrial purse seine fishery into one MSC unit of certification instead of the misleading current division of free and associated schools.
  3. Bring together leading industry and environmental partners to work collaboratively towards sustainability of the fishery and ensure fair market access.
  4. Have RFMOs adopt Harvest Control Rules (HCR) for stocks of tropical tuna species, including support to the process of Management Strategy Evaluation based on the best science available.
  5. Adoption of robust ad-hoc rebuilding strategies, in line with MSC standards, for stocks not subject to HCR (where required).
  6. Influence the various RFMOs to adopt an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.
  7. Assist RFMOs in the adoption of best practices concerning the use of drift fish aggregating devices (dFADs), through provision of information in support of informed scientific advice. 
  8. Drive real changes in the fleet to minimize the impact of the fishery over non-target species and improve survivorship of sensitive species such as turtles, sharks, and any other sensitive bycatch.

Note: The Indicator Scores presented in this website are based on the MSC Performance Indicators (PI) for the species in the worst shape in the fisheries. The way FisheryProgress.org is currently set up does not allow for the entry of PI scores for more than one stock or species. In this case, two species have a yellow ranking (bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna) but the two stocks of skipjack (Eastern and Western) are in green.

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 5: Improvements on the Water
Start and Projected End Dates
October 2016
September 2021
Species 
Common Name 
Bigeye Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus obesus
Buying Guide Link Image 
Bigeye Tuna
Buying Guide
Common Name 
Skipjack Tuna
Scientific Name
Katsuwonus pelamis
Buying Guide Link Image 
Skipjack Tuna
Buying Guide
Common Name 
Yellowfin Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus albacares
Buying Guide Link Image 
Yellowfin Tuna
Buying Guide
Gear Type 
Purse Seine
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Cook Islands (the)
Country 
Kiribati
Country Flag of Vessel 
Ecuador
Country Flag of Vessel 
El Salvador
Country Flag of Vessel 
Spain
Country Flag of Vessel 
Panama
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
WCPFC
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
50,000 metric tons
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
October 01, 2016
14% 32% 54%
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
Not yet available
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
Target End Date
Sep 2021
Additional Impacts:
TraceabilityIUUEcosystemOther

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
OPAGAC
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Dr Julio Morón
Email 
julio.moron@opagac.org
Phone 
+34 91 431 48 57
Website Name 
OPAGAC
Organization Name 
WWF
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Raul Garcia Rodriguez
Email 
pesca@wwf.es
Website Name 
Smart Fishing
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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