Handline

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