The Indian government-run ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute recently introduced poultry feed made from smoked and dried tuna, manufactured in the Lakshadweep Islands, off the South Indian coast. According to the Institute, the product, called DweepMAS-Poultry Feed, is a sustainable alternative to the conventional soybean meal, which is commonly used as food for poultry.

Indian news sites reported that DweepMAS-Poultry Feed has a high protein content (70 percent), similar to soy, and nutrients that has been designed to support various poultry growth stages. It also reduces the feed cost by 30 percent. The developers claimed that this new type of tuna origin feed could play a pivotal role in enhancing the self-sustainability of farming across the Lakshadweep Islands, minimizing reliance on imported feed components, and strengthening the local agricultural economy. Over the years, experts have pointed out how soy production carries significant environmental disadvantages, primarily due to widespread deforestation, high carbon emissions, soil degradation, and water pollution. Whereas, fishing for tuna and producing byproducts from the fish has less environmental impacts.

The Ecuadorian Navy seized 71 packages of “illegal substances” on the Ecuadorian-flagged tuna purse seiner ‘MonteCristi’ last week, which later appeared to be drugs. The police did not confirm the type of narcotics. A Mexican, and 21 Ecuadorians, who were working as crew members, were arrested for trafficking the “illegal substances.” The vessel was located 174 nautical miles (322 km) off San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos when the items were confiscated. The crew members were taken in for questioning. An X post from the Ecuadorian Navy (Armada del Ecuador) read: “The Security Block, made up of FFA Ecuador and Policía Ecuador, in surveillance and control operations in the Ecuadorian exclusive insular economic zone, carried out the interdiction and inspection of the tuna boat named MonteCristi.” According to the IATTC, the 50-meter-long ‘MonteCristi’ is owned by Industria Ecuatoriana Productora de Alimentos C.A. and registered to the port of Manta.

Over the years, Ecuadorian officials have confiscated millions of dollars worth of drugs from canned tuna shipments headed to different parts of the world, mainly the EU and the US. Ecuador’s tuna sector has been pointing out how this is affecting their businesses. In March, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced an alliance with the founder of an infamous private military company to combat organized crime and IUU fishing plaguing the nation’s shrimp and tuna sectors.

A new state-of-the-art Fisheries Monitoring Center was inaugurated in Fiji last week to combat IUU fishing. It falls under the EUR 45 million (USD 51 million) Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) program, implemented by FFA, which aims to promote sustainable ocean governance and the responsible management of marine resources. The center received FJD 400,000 (USD 176,803) in monitoring equipment as part of the initiative. An FFA statement read that the Monitoring Center will help Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries work more efficiently to better protect marine resources and enhance sustainable management practices.

FFA Director-General Noan Pakop said: “Through systems like the Vessel Monitoring System, observer data, and national surveillance capability, we are strengthening the surveillance and enforcement capabilities of our members. This center gives Fiji the tools to do that more effectively, and we will continue working with other Members to scale up these efforts across the region.”