March 1, 2019 — North American sushi-quality tuna provider Anova Food, LLC., has put its Fair Trade fishery in North Buru Island, Indonesia, up for full assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability standards, the company announced on 26 February.
The handline tuna fishery has become the first of its kind in Indonesia to pursue the MSC assessment, Anova Food said in a press release. The company is working closely with its processing partner Harta Samudra as well as NGO Masyarakat Dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI) and the North Buru Fair Trade Committee to compile the documentation required for the assessment. A site visit has been scheduled for March, wherein the compliance assessment body (CAB) will meet with government representatives and other stakeholders to kick off the rigorous process.
“Years of data collection and sustainable fishery practices by Fair Trade fishermen have set the stage for fulfilling the rigorous demands of MSC certification for this handline fishery and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Blane Olson, managing director of Anova Technical Services. “Anova first launched the Fair Trade Capture Fishery in North Buru Island five years ago and while it’s successfully been Fair Trade certified, we’ve had our sights set on MSC certification as it’s extremely important for us and our supply chains to reach the highest available standards.”
“At [Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries] MMAF, we are proud and excited to see the first Indonesian handline tuna fishery enter an MSC full assessment,” added Pak Zulficar Mochtar, director general of capture fisheries. “This assessment sets a precedent not only for Indonesia, but also for small-scale fisheries around the world for which the MSC standard is most challenging to achieve. This has been made possible thanks to the hard work and commitment in the past few years of all parties involved.”