Certifier : 
Bureau Veritas Certification
Certified status : 
Certified
Certified since : 
09 Nov 2018
Certificate expires : 
08 May 2024

Overview

Fisheries are composed of one or more parts, each of which is entitled to receive an MSC certificate. These parts or “units” are defined by their target stock(s), fishing gear type(s) and if relevant vessel type(s), and the fishing fleets or groups of vessels.

When the term “Unit of Certification” is used for fishing units that are in assessment, it refers to the “Unit of Assessment” or “Unit of potential certification”. Expand a status below to view the parts that form this fishery. To check the detailed scope, download the latest certificate or open the Assessments page to get the latest report. Find out more by visiting our page on Fisheries

Units of Certification & Certificate Information

  • Certified
    MSC UoC Number Species Gear Type Ocean Area Certificate Code
    UoC-1562 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 51 (Indian Ocean, Western), 57 (Indian Ocean, Eastern) MSC-F-30029
  • No longer in the program
    MSC UoC Number Species Gear Type Ocean Area Status (Units of Certification) Certificate Code
    UoC-0789 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 51 (Indian Ocean, Western), 57 (Indian Ocean, Eastern) Withdrawn MSC-F-30029
    UoC-0787 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 51 (Indian Ocean, Western), 57 (Indian Ocean, Eastern) Withdrawn MSC-F-30029
    UoC-0788 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 51 (Indian Ocean, Western), 57 (Indian Ocean, Eastern) Withdrawn MSC-F-30029

View glossary of terms

Catch by Species

Species Reported Catch Year Metric Tonnes
Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) 2022 37,714

Information is provided by an independent Conformity Assessment Body as live weight (the weight of species at the time of catch, before processing) and where a fishing season covers multiple years, the end year is given as the reported catch year. Additional information is available in the latest report, see the assessments page.

Eligibility, client groups and vessel lists

A fishery may choose to define the members of the fishery certificate. These members can be vessels or other client group members (e.g. companies that own vessels and/or companies that are named as eligible to handle certified product covered within the fishery certificate scope). Please refer to the fishery certificate statement on additional product specific eligibility criteria (e.g. product eligibility limitations, eligibility date, exclusive points of landing and the point where Chain of Custody certificate is required). Please consult the fishery Public Certification Report for product eligibility rationale.

Documents Published on Files
Vessel List 19 Jun 2019 1 files

About this Fishery

The Echebastar Indian Ocean skipjack fishery is being assessed using a revised MSC assessment process.

Download a briefing on this assessment process and how stakeholders can provide input >

This assessment includes two Units of Certification for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) caught by the six vessels in Echebastar’s fleet using free school and drifting Fish Aggregating Devices sets in the Indian Ocean.

The fishery will be assessed using an updated assessment process, developed following public consultation throughout 2016. The aim of this process is to reduce the complexity, uncertainty, cost and barriers to accessibility of the MSC program, while maintaining and improving the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement and ensuring that the high bar, and rigorous assessment, required for MSC certification are maintained.

The new assessment process is being piloted in 2017 involving seven fisheries of varying sizes and scale, a mix of previous assessment experience and varied methods of entry into assessment. In the case of the Echebastar fishery, the previous assessment for skipjack and yellowfin in the Indian Ocean and its continued work towards overcoming some of the challenges identified during the original objection to the fishery becoming MSC certified, made it a good candidate to test the streamlined process. This assessment will be closely monitored to ensure that the MSC Fisheries Standard is correctly applied, and to inform the potential roll-out of the updated simplification process in 2018.