MSC Fisheries
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Tri Marine Western and Central Pacific skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna fishery

Certifier : 
SCS Global Services
Certified status : 
Certified
Certified since : 
02 Jun 2016
Certificate expires : 
21 Jun 2028

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-2724 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2725 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2726 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2727 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2728 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2729 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2732 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2735 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2738 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2741 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2742 Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2515 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2517 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2519 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2521 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2730 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2733 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2736 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2739 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-1184 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2523 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2525 Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2514 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2516 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2518 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2520 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2731 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2734 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2737 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2740 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines) 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-1185 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2522 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)
    UoC-2524 Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) Surrounding Nets - With purse lines (purse seines): Free school sets, unassociated with fish aggregating devices 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 77 (Pacific, Eastern Central) MSC-F-31245 (F-SCS-0094)

View glossary of terms

Catch by Species

Species Reported Catch Year Metric Tonnes
Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) 2021 159,165
Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) 2021 27,452

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.

About this Fishery

This fishery is run by international producer Tri Marine, with 10 American Samoa-based purse seiners targeting skipjack and yellowfin tuna.

Skipjack are a highly productive tuna exhibiting great variability in life history characteristics. They grow up to a metre in length, and gather in surface shoals of up to 50,000 individuals. They reproduce at a greater rate than other species of tuna, and are responsible for more than half the world tuna harvest.

Yellowfin are fast-moving and wide-ranging pelagic predators. They spend the majority of time in the top 100m, but make occasional deep dives to much greater depths. They are one of the larger species, reaching weights above 180kg, but often mix with other tuna. Schools of small yellowfin and skipjack are common.

The purse seines used in this fishery are not associated with fish aggregating devices. Stocks are conserved by permitting vessels only a limited number of days at sea each year – the vessels in this UoC were allocated 2000 days in 2014 – and with no-fishing zones. Observer coverage and log books are mandatory, along with catch reporting.

Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) © Scandinavian Fishing Year Book

Market Information

Most of the catch is canned, with the main processing base being located on American Samoa. Secondary processors are located in Thailand, Ecuador and Peru. Most of the product is sold in North American markets, with potential sales in the EU.