April 12, 2019 — Last month, a Chinese-operated longline fishery in the Federated States of Micronesia became the first fishery to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification for a bigeye tuna fishery. The fishery, owned by three interconnected Chinese fishing companies, Liancheng Overseas Fishery (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (SZLC), China Southern Fishery Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (CSFC) and Liancheng Overseas Fishery (FSM) Co. Ltd. (FZLC), previously achieved MSC certification for its yellowfin fishery in October 2018.
Liancheng is also responsible for the Cook Islands South Pacific albacore and yellowfin longline fishery, which achieved MSC certification in 2015. Its yellowfin and bigeye tuna fisheries in the Republic of Marshall Islands are also undergoing an MSC assessment, which should conclude by the end of 2019.The largest Chinese fleet to achieve MSC certification, Liancheng has said it is dedicated to achieving MSC certification for all its fisheries.
Liancheng Senior Vice President of Marketing Joe Murphy talked to SeafoodSource about the firm’s aim to market MSC-certified bigeye catch in China, Japan, Asia, the United States, and Europe.
SeafoodSource: Where does Liancheng sell its products?
Murphy: Liancheng markets our catch globally including the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, other Asian nations, and Europe. Our company has been involved in tuna from the Pacific Islands and other locations for almost three decades.
SeafoodSource: How important is the MSC accreditation for the domestic Chinese market? Are Chinese consumers very familiar with MSC?
Murphy: While MSC is well-recognized and very important to the European market, there is definite increasing interest in the MSC eco-label use from major retail and foodservice operators in China. The Chinese market has many international hotels committed to offering sustainable foods, so the consumer is seeing the MSC blue eco-label. The Chinese buyers seeking MSC are familiar with the eco-label and what it signifies through their parent companies, as they are major high-end hotel chain restaurants and retailers.
The huge and important use of internet marketing in China also provides exposure to products carrying the MSC logo. This same trend is occurring in the U.S. and now in Japan for the [upcoming 2020 Tokyo] Olympics.