Final Report Expedited Assessment Of

MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template FCR v2.0 V 1.0 (16th March 2015) Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Final Report Expedited assessment of yellowfin tuna and new client groups The SZLC, CSFC & FZLC Cook Islands EEZ south Pacific albacore longline fishery On behalf of Luen Thai Fishing Venture Prepared by ME Certification Ltd FEBRUARY 2017 Authors: Jo Gascoigne Chrissie Sieben ME Certification Ltd 56 High Street, Lymington Hampshire SO41 9AH United Kingdom Tel: 01590 613007 Fax: 01590 671573 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.me-cert.com MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template FCR v2.0 V 1.0 (16th March 2015) Contents CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. 1 GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 5 1 AUTHORSHIP AND PEER REVIEWERS .............................................................................. 10 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHERY ....................................................................................... 12 2.1 Unit(s) of Assessment (UoA) and Scope of Certification Sought ........................... 12 2.1.1 Existing UoC and new UoAs to be added ..................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Fishing vessels .............................................................................................................. 18 2.1.3 Final UoC(s) .................................................................................................................. 19 2.1.4 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Catch Data ............................................................... 20 2.1.5 Scope of Assessment in Relation to Enhanced Fisheries ............................................ 20 2.1.6 Scope of Assessment in Relation to Introduced Species Based Fisheries (ISBF) ....... 20 2.2 Overview of the fishery ......................................................................................... 21 2.3 Principle One: Target Species Background ........................................................... 22 2.3.1 Pilot harmonisation for WCPFC stocks ......................................................................... 22 2.3.2 Landings ........................................................................................................................ 22 2.3.3 Stock status (yellowfin) ................................................................................................. 22 2.3.4 Reference points ........................................................................................................... 23 2.3.5 Harvest strategy and control rules ................................................................................ 24 2.3.6 Information and stock assessment................................................................................ 25 2.3.7 Key Low Trophic Level (LTL) species ........................................................................... 25 2.4 Principle Two: Ecosystem Background ................................................................. 26 2.4.1 P2 requirements for expedited assessment .................................................................. 26 2.4.2 Main retained and bycatch species ............................................................................... 26 2.4.3 ETP species .................................................................................................................. 32 2.5 Principle Three: Management System Background............................................... 33 3 EVALUATION PROCEDURE .............................................................................................. 34 3.1 Harmonised Fishery Assessment .......................................................................... 34 3.2 Previous assessments .......................................................................................... 34 3.3 Assessment Methodologies .................................................................................. 39 3.4 Evaluation Processes and Techniques ................................................................. 39 3.4.1 Site Visits ....................................................................................................................... 39 3.4.2 Consultations ................................................................................................................. 40 3.4.3 Evaluation Techniques .................................................................................................. 40 4 TRACEABILITY ............................................................................................................... 42 4.1 Eligibility Date ....................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Traceability within the Fishery ............................................................................... 42 4.3 Eligibility to Enter Further Chains of Custody ........................................................ 43 4.4 Eligibility of Inseparable or Practicably Inseparable (IPI) stock(s) to Enter Further Chains of Custody ........................................................................................................... 44 3101R05B | ME Certification Ltd. 1 MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template FCR v2.0 V 1.0 (16th March 2015) 5 EVALUATION RESULTS ................................................................................................... 45 5.1 Principle Level Scores .......................................................................................... 45 5.2 Summary of PI Level Scores ................................................................................. 46 5.3 Summary of Conditions ......................................................................................... 48 5.4 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 52 5.5 Determination, Formal Conclusion and Agreement ............................................... 52 6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 53 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 55 APPENDIX 1 SCORING AND RATIONALES ................................................................................. 56 Appendix 1.1 Performance Indicator Scores and Rationale .......................................... 56 Appendix 1.2 Conditions and Client Action Plan ......................................................... 101 APPENDIX 2 PILOT WCPFC PRINCIPLE 1 HARMONISATION MEETING: REPORT ........................ 115 Appendix 2.1 Harmonisation Meeting for Western Pacific Tuna Fisheries .................. 115 Appendix 2.2 Skipjack tuna ........................................................................................ 118 Appendix 2.3 Yellowfin Tuna ...................................................................................... 120 Appendix 2.4 South Pacific albacore .......................................................................... 122 Appendix 2.4 North Pacific Albacore .......................................................................... 124 Appendix 2.5 Harmonisation meeting participants ...................................................... 127 APPENDIX 3 PEER REVIEW REPORT ..................................................................................... 128 Appendix 3.1 Peer review P1 harmonisation .............................................................. 128 Appendix 3.2 Peer review expedited assessment ....................................................... 137 APPENDIX 4 STAKEHOLDER SUBMISSIONS ............................................................................ 148 Appendix 4.1 Submissions received prior to publication PCDR .................................. 148 Appendix 4.2 Submissions received after publication PCDR ...................................... 149 APPENDIX 5 SURVEILLANCE FREQUENCY ............................................................................. 152 APPENDIX 6 OBJECTIONS PROCESS ..................................................................................... 153 3101R05B | ME Certification Ltd. 2 MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template FCR v2.0 V 1.0 (16th March 2015) Glossary Term Description B0 equilibrium unexploited total biomass BMSY equilibrium total biomass at MSY CAB Conformity Assessment Body WCPFC Commission Members, Cooperating non-Members, and participating CCM Territories CFA China Southern Fishery Shenzhen Co. Ltd CI Cook Islands Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and CITES Flora CMM WCPFC Conservation and Management Measure CoC Chain of Custody CPUE Catch per Unit Effort CSFC China Southern Fishery Shenzhen Co. Ltd EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone ETP Endangered, threatened or protected species FAO Food and Agricultural Organization Fcurrent Average fishing mortality at age, July 2007 – June 2010 FFA Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency FMSY Fishing mortality at age resulting in MSY Liancheng Overseas Fishery (FSM) Co. Ltd (FZLC) - This used to be the FZLC company called China Fishing Agency (CFA) and has just had a change in name. The actual company remains the same. HCR Harvest

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