Five companies relaunch mahi and tuna FIP in Panama

Five companies – Bay Hill Seafood Sales, Corporacion Pesquera del Itsmo SA (CORPEISA – Alfa Gamma Group), Panalang Group, Tasty Seafood, Bajamar Seafood, have  announced the relaunch of the Panama mahi and tuna longline fishery improvement project (FIP).

The relaunch of the FIP, in coordination with the Center for Development and Sustainable Fisheries (CeDePesca) – hopes to continue the progress achieved by the original FIP, which was suspended due to local political troubles, Panalang Seafood Chair Valerio De Sanctis said.

By adding keystone producers and U.S. partners, the new FIP aims to go beyond the achievements of the original, ultimately becoming a sustainable fishery that achieves Marine Stewardship Council certification for both mahi and tuna, De Sanctis said.

“We are very happy of restarting this project to ensure the sustainability of one of the most-important local fisheries in Panama," De Sanctis said. “We are really very thankful to Alfa Gamma, Tasty, Bay Hill, and Bajamar for their very proactive support to get this done."

De Sanctis said the FIP is open to adding additional partners if there is interest.

"We really believe in pre-competitive collaboration to improve our fisheries performance," De Sanctis said.

The first step of the relaunch will be to analyze the fishery’s weaknesses and strengths, Bay Hill Seafood Sales President Justin Conrad said. Additionally, the FIP continue collection of important scientific information from the fishery, such as catch sizes, fishing effort, and impacts on other species like turtles, sharks, mammals, and seabirds.

“Consumers want to feel confident that the products they are supporting are harvested in responsible ways," Conrad said. “This collaboration is a great step to show those consumers that stocks of these species will remain healthy and sustainable.”

Since mahi and tuna are highly migratory species, the FIP's partners hope to work with similar fisheries in neighboring countries under the umbrella of international organizations such as the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and theOrganization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) on research and management.

“It is really a great news restarting this FIP and even more because of the support of such important local producers and distributors in the US”, CeDePesca CEO Ernesto Godelman said. “We are confident that we will account with the active collaboration of the Panamanian Aquatic Resources Authority [ARAP], the Fishing Industry Association [ANDELAIPP], the IATTC, OSPESCA, the academy and, most importantly, the local fishers."

Photo courtesy of Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock