From 1 January there could be no restrictions for tropical tuna fishing in nearly half of the Pacific Ocean, increasing the risk of overfishing of commercially important skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tunas, the Marine Stewardship Council warns, unless all the member governments reach an agreement on how to manage these stocks in 2021.
The MSC standard requires fisheries certified to its globally recognised standard to limit their catch within sustainable limits. Robust management is one of the fundamental principles of sustainable fisheries, especially for those catching highly migratory species such as tuna, as it prevents overfishing.
However, the body responsible in international law for agreeing how much tuna is safe to catch is yet to reach a consensus on important measures to restrict tuna catch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in 2021. Scientific advice recommended to carry over the rules set for 2020 into 2021.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Marine Stewardship Council
