Environmental

Decalogue

With the intention of establishing the fundamental criteria for the realization of a Code of Good Practices, the OPAGAC / AGAC shipowners agreed on a series of measures that were reflected in a Decalogue of action for the tuna purse seine fleet. Said Decalogue gathered commitments related to collaboration with scientists in terms of facilitating sampling, tagging programs, boarding of observers in 100% of the trips and providing information (VMS, electronic fishing log); ban transshipments on the high seas; apply social standards onboard, using ILO criteria; reduction of bycatch and improvement of the selectivity of the fishing gear; and the prohibition of tuna discards, as fundamental points

2010

Code of Good Practices

Since 2012, the fleet associated in OPAGAC/AGAC has a Code of Good Practices in place, to mitigate the potential impacts of its activity on the ecosystem

2012

100% observer coverage

In 2015 we have reached 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) in our purse seiners, sharing the data to AZTI and the IEO for research purposes.

Through Electronic Monitoring Systems (EMS), 100% observer coverage in support vessels was also achived

2015

FIP OPAGAC

February 11th 2016 OPAGAC signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WWF-Spain to develop a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP). OPAGAC’s Global Tuna FIP has been the world’s largest-scale FIP.

2016

FAD WATCH

OPAGAC has launched this project in Seychelles, with local entities, to prevent FAD beaching.

2017

UN Global Compact

OPAGAC is committed to the Global Compact as a catalyst for compliance with the UN SDGs, mainly SDGs 8,12,14 and 17. Moreover, OPAGAC is a signatory of the Sustainable Ocean Principles.

2019

Full assessment against the MSC standard

All the work carried out between 2016 and 2020 allowed the FIP to score higher than expected, which has culminated in the fishery entering in full assessment against the MSC standard on August 21, 2020 - one year earlier than initially foreseen.

The whole process is available here

2020