MADRID: A segment of the Spanish tuna fleet, grouped in the organization of associated large tuna freezing vessels (OPAGAC), has proposed to the European Commission that its responsible fishing tuna standards (APR) serve as a basis of new EU fish import standards.
The APR standard is the only one in the fishing sector that guarantees social and labor rights on board, beyond the current legal requirements, OPAGAC said.
By adopting the APR standard, the EU would guarantee Europeans fish consumption meets minimum requirements in terms of control, environmental sustainability and labor rights, OPAGAC said.
OPAGAC discussed its proposal with Karmenu Vella, EU commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, at the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium this week.
“The European institutions are responsible for guaranteeing that fish products arriving to the EU market come from legal fleets, which are fleets that do not allow the violation of human rights and practices such as slavery, human trafficking or child labor exploitation,” said OPAGAC’s managing director, Julio Moron.
“The fight against illegal fishing goes through the application of the same rules to both European and foreign fleets supplying the European market, and in this sense, the EU plays an indispensable role, demanding and exporting our high standards to the rest of the international fleet,” Moron said.
In addition, during Seafood Expo Global, the tuna organization has reviewed the progress of its fisheries improvement program, developed in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. OPAGAC aims to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the 400,000 metric tons of tuna captured by its fleet in 2021.
