In October, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) named this year’s leading performers in sustainable fishing across the UK seafood sector, awarding Princes the ‘MSC UK Seafood Brand of the Year.’ The recognition reflects the company’s adherence to its sustainability commitments and the progress it has made toward them. In 2022, Princes Group announced its plans to source and sell 100 percent sustainable MSC-certified tuna for its Princes brand by the end of 2025. However, with the deadline approaching, the company has yet to confirm whether all its tuna is now procured exclusively from MSC-certified fisheries.

Atuna reported that UK retailer Tesco was awarded the Gold Award for the ‘UK Supermarket of the Year’ by the Council for its efforts to source, promote, and sell sustainable tuna and other seafood. Lidl and Iceland won the Silver and Bronze Awards, respectively, in the same category.

Earlier this year, ANABAC requested an MSC scope extension to assess yellowfin as an additional target species to its already certified skipjack fishery in the Indian Ocean. The catches recently received the blue tick after it scored above 80 for Principle 1. The CAB, Bureau Veritas, stated in the Public Certification Report that, “the client requested this scope extension in light of recent developments addressing key concerns previously raised about the status and management of Indian Ocean yellowfin.” The Performance Indicators for the other two principles – ecosystem impacts and management system – were not analyzed. In May, Atuna reported about this fishery going for a scope extension.

Last year, IOTC scientists determined that yellowfin in the Indian Ocean was no longer overfished, after which several fisheries announced that they are interested in an MSC assessment for IO yellowfin. However, experts warned that there were data discrepancies in the stock assessment and flag states should keep to their quotas.

Locals and tourists in Conil, Spain, can once again enjoy the popular tuna weathervane after its restoration works were recently completed. The sculpture had been damaged due to the renovation works of a promenade near the Conil coastline, known as the Almadraba route, where it was installed many years back. However, government authorities ensured its renovation as it is a heritage symbol to the locals, who were happy about its return.

The weathervane, part of the ‘Monument To The Tuna’ project financed by the European Fisheries Fund and the Andalusian government, highlights the importance of bluefin fishing in the region. The four-meter-high and seven-meter-long bluefin was created by Spanish artist Pedro Barberá. Similar weathervanes are located in the towns of Cadiz, Zahara de los Atunes, Barbate, Conil, Tarifa, La Línea de la Concepción, and Chiclana, which are also famous for the Almadrabas.