Progress report for
Tuna 2020 Traceability Declaration
Achievement at a glance
2019 A partnership with the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) was agreed to support signatories to achieve the Declaration commitments. 2020 a survey of all signatories revealed progress and hurdles to date and a new education strategy of webinars and toolkits was put into place. A new signatory joined in 2020 to drive the commitments.1. Tuna Traceability Commitment
All fishery, distributor and food service survey respondent signatories reported that tuna products in their supply chains are traceable to vessels and trip dates. Others reported that tuna products are traceable to fisheries but not to vessel or trip dates. GTA endorsed the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) Standards and Guidelines for Interoperable Seafood Traceability. GTA produced a Traceability Toolkit to support signatories action, and webinars by GDST, FishWise SALT & ISSF.
2. Commitment to a Socially Responsible Tuna Supply Chain
Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe their tuna supply chains are slave free, and nearly one in five have third-party certification to demonstrate this. Several companies have systems in place for meeting the social responsibility commitment on land, but there has been a gap in at-sea verification. Partnership with the FishWise Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics (RISE) initiative and due diligence toolkit near finalized. Seven specific webinars: FAO, Fair Trade USA, Due Diligence, SSCI, RFVS, OPAGAC APR and OSA
3. Commitment to Environmentally Responsible Tuna Sources
23 companies have made a pledge to source from tuna fisheries that meet the environmental sustainability commitment. Environmental Toolkit near finalized. Webinar from GSSI
4. Government Partnership
GTA representing companies to RFMOs since September 2019. GTA, with PEW, produced a Government Partnership Toolkit. Three specific webinars: RFMOs, PSMA, Harvest Strategies. Circulated GTA RFMO asks to TTD signatories. Frinsa (TTD Signatory) agreed to sign NTF letter & RFMO agenda setting letters
Challenges faced in implementation
While initial sign on to the Declaration was keen and those signatories were committed to realising the commitments, it became clear that a central, trusted and neutral facility was necessary to develop and plan and drive the activity. It took some time to identify a similarly aligned organisation, driven by private sector actors committed to eliminating illegal fishing from tuna supply chains. Having identified the Global Tuna Alliance it took some 8 months to recruit a appropriate Executive Director to lead the collective commitments and organisations to success, at the same time fulfilling legal status (NL stichting) for the GTA which was critical to some engagement opportunities and to receive funds. The delay in creating this central, safe, secretariat role meant the global signatories struggled to align and find the support or tools needed.In 2020 the GTA now have toolkits, webinars and support materials for traceability, social and environmental commitments and is working with the signatories to realise the targets. RFMO and Government engagement has proved the most challenging pillar for the signatories to make progress against. The GTA partnership and Executive Director recruitment has provided the Declaration signatories with additional external support to achieve the Declaration commitments they made in 2017.
Beneficiaries
Tuna stocks and related ocean systems. Fishermen, communities, crews on fishing vessels, seafood chain stakeholders, providers, supply chain partners, retail and buyers, civil society and NGOs
Actions
IUU likely contributes to 20-25% of global landings in recent catch reconstruction estimates (2019), which accounts for economic losses of $26-$50 billion annually.The commitments are intended to ensure there is no IUU tuna in the signatories supply chains. Success in realising these commitments will therefore benefit collective understanding of the tuna and the systems within which they operate enabling optimal management for sustainable harvests and healthy ecosystems.
Traceability if the tuna is fully traceable back to the vessel it means that critical data will have been submitted enabling best management of the fishery. The TTD and GTA signatories are working closely with the Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST) to improve supply chain traceability. A Traceability Toolkit has been created with the help of the GDST and International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF).
Social Responsibility ensuring crews working on fishing vessels are treated fairly, with decent conditions and good training, will benefit not only those crew members, but their families and the fishing vessel operators. The TTD and GTA signatories are contributing to, where possible, the development of standards and benchmarking to ensure the quality end efficacy of those standards. While these are progressing around 1/5th of the signatories are operating their own third party assurance.
Environmental Responsibility - tuna is critical to the health of ocean eco systems. Currently only 24.5% of tuna stocks are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or a similar GSSI benchmarked scheme. Many signatories are sourcing some of their tuna from these certified fisheries and are committed to sourcing more certified tuna as available.
Government Partnership to effectively implement good management, traceability and accountability government and regulatory support is essential. Signatories supported the GTA and ISSF in creating collaborative statements and representing them on their behalf.