Brazil South Atlantic swordfish - longline (Hilo)

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Overview

Hilo Fish Company Inc. & Comercio de Pescados Villa Imp. E Expt. Ltda. have combined their industry knowledge and resources to implement regional strategies to improve the sustainability of their target species here in Brazil.   Areas of concentration include, but are not limited to, improving fisheries data quality, reducing impacts of non-target species interactions, and increasing shared information between fisheries stakeholders. 

In 2023, a pre-assessment was completed using MSC Fisheries Standard v2.01 to identify all environmental indicators for the South Atlantic swordfish stock.  To address the areas of sustainability vulnerability in the Brazilian fishery, Hilo Fish Company Inc. and Comercio de Pescados Villa Imp. E Expt. Ltda. have put together a multidisciplinary team of Brazilian fisheries representatives and regional experts to develop a basic FIP for the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) landed by longline in the UoA.  This FIP represents 2 supply chain companies, 1 national fishing collective and 72 Brazil-flagged vessels operating out of the ports of Itajaí in Santa Catarina, Itaipava in Espíito Santo, and Rio Grande in Rio Grande do Sul.  

Due to the highly migratory nature of the Southwest Atlantic swordfish, the stock is governed at the highest level by the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) RFMO, and the stock is governed at the national level by both the Brazilian Ministry of Fisheries & Aquaculture (MPA) and the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA).

Based on the pre-assessment (see the pre-assessment Doc.) for the South Atlantic swordfish stock conducted in 2023, one of the Performance Indicators (PIs) was scored so that the fishery would fail under the MSC v2.01 assessment (SG<60) and four of the PIs required conditions for improvement (SG 60-79).  The objective of this FIP is to increase the PIs (of scores <60 or 60-79) to SG>80.  Efforts to achieve these scores will be undertaken by actions which improve shared swordfish (Xiphias gladius) stock management in the South Atlantic through better reporting and improved data quality, reduction of shark by-catch mortality, and improvements to ETP species interactions in the MoU.

FIP Description 

Hilo Fish Company Inc. & Comercio de Pescados Villa Imp. E Expt. Ltda.

FIP Objective(s) 

To address the fishery’s key environmental challenges as to achieve a level of performance consistent with a passing score per the MSC Fisheries Standard v2.01 for the target species swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Brazilian UoA by 2028.  This includes, but is not limited to, improvements to shared swordfish (Xiphias gladius) stock management in the South Atlantic through better reporting and improved data quality, reduction of shark by-catch mortality, and improvements to ETP species interactions in the MoU.

FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 3: FIP Implementation
Start and Projected End Dates
November 2023
June 2028
Next Progress Report Due 
Friday, February 28, 2025
Species 
Common Name 
Swordfish
Scientific Name
Xiphias gladius
Buying Guide Link Image 
Swordfish
Buying Guide
Gear Type 
Longline
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 41 (Atlantic, Southwest)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Brazil
Geographic Scope 
Between the latitudes of 12° S and 36° S
Country Flag of Vessel 
Brazil
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
ICCAT
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
62 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
184 metric tons
Landings Date 
November 2022
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
November 01, 2023
4% 14% 82%
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
C Some Recent 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.
Feb 2025
Target End Date
Jun 2028

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Hilo Fish Company Inc.
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Rusty Ann Smith
Email 
rustyann@hilofish.com
Phone 
+1 808-961-0877
Website Name 
Hilo Fish Company Inc.
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.
22495