In December 2019, the 125-meter long tuna carrier 'Sea Mark' caught fire while sailing in the Pacific region, 160 miles from the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Its owner, Chinese Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co., Ltd., received a total compensation of USD 3 million from two insurance companies. At the time of the accident, the reefer carried the Panamanian flag and all 23 crew members were rescued. It is not confirmed that the vessel sunk, what would be most likely.

The vessel, with a fish hold capacity of 7,503 M/T, is registered in the WCPFC vessel register under a Spanish subsidiary of Zhonglu. The distant-water fishing company also has a subsidiary in Panama and operates via a Ghanaian subsidiary in the Atlantic Ocean, according to SeafoodSource. In general, the use of international subsidiaries and international-flagged carriers by Chinese fleets casts doubt on the official data for China’s overseas tuna catch, which was claimed to be 2.17 million M/T in 2019, 3.9 percent less than in 2018.

The Petaca Group has announced the opening of its new retail store, Shopping Almadraba, in Conil, Spain. The shop specializes in offering bluefin exclusively from the Almadraba in Barbate with the support of experts on this traditional fishing method. The tuna is available fresh during the Almadraba season and ultra-frozen at minus 60 degrees Celcius all year round.

Additionally, canned bluefin and other seafood from the Group's brand Petaca Chino is also available at the store. The retail shop is part of Group's goal to make Almadraba products more accessible to consumers. The Petaca Group has over 30 years of experience distributing Almadraba items.

The first Korean fishery, Pan Pacific Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Albacore Longline Fishery, operated by StarKist's owner, Dongwon Industries, achieved an MSC certification on June 26. The objections by the stakeholders were rebutted as shown in the public certification report. The 11 South Korean-flagged vessels are allowed to catch the tuna species under the blue seal in the Western Central Pacific Ocean high seas, and the EEZs of Kiribati and Tuvalu.

Also, Canada Highly Migratory Species Foundation (CHMSF) was MSC re-certified for albacore this week. The 122 vessels in the fishery can keep fishing for albacore in FAO area 67 in the EEZs of Canada, the US, and international waters managed by the IATTC and WCPFC.