Certification in fisheries and aquaculture. Tropical tuna and bluefin tuna

Certified to ensure sustainable fishing and good food handling practices such as tropical and bluefin tuna.

Good food handling practices, an added value

Fishing and aquaculture are key activities within the food production chain. The certification of schemes related to fishing, aquaculture and seafood provides great added value to the end consumer on aspects such as product quality, traceability, food safety, sustainable fishing and other factors.

AENOR offers you two certification solutions for the fisheries and aquaculture sector:

  • Bluefin tuna. Good management of fisheries, aquaculture and processing

  • Tropical tuna. Vessel Certification: responsibly fished tuna UNE 195006

Responsibly Fished Tuna

AENOR's APR certification promotes sustainable fishing and the conservation of natural and human resources.

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Bluefin tuna. Good management of fisheries, aquaculture and processing

Bluefin tuna is a species that forms large schools of fish. It travels long distances to reach the breeding grounds.

Among the modalities of bluefin tuna fishing is that carried out by the purse seine fleet. Young tuna are captured and transported to aquaculture concessions, spaces where the growth of the specimens is facilitated in a controlled and natural way. In this space, the specimens grow and strengthen themselves by recovering the fat lost during their annual migration to warmer waters, resulting in a final product of excellent quality.

This certification allows the value of good management of fishing, aquaculture and processing under criteria of environmental sustainability, animal welfare, traceability, authenticity and good handling practices related to anisakis. During the evaluation, it is also verified that this activity is carried out following the guidelines established by ICCAT in relation to the sustainable exploitation and conservation of the bluefin tuna species.

In addition, compliance with traceability and identification is guaranteed throughout the industrial production chain, making available to the consumer all the information on the previous stages, which provide extra confidence to the product.

  • You can request the Specific Regulations for certification of conformity: "Good management of fisheries, aquaculture and processing of bluefin tuna, under criteria of environmental sustainability, traceability, animal welfare, authenticity and good handling practices" (RP B95.05) by information or budget request form.

Tropical tuna. Vessel Certification: UNE 195006 sustainable fishing tuna

The sustainability of tuna extractive fishing is one of the challenges of the coming years. The development of good practices that contribute to the real sustainability of the sector (Social, Economic and Environmental) becomes one of its pillars.

The certification of tuna freezer purse seiners based on the UNE 195006 Standard responds to all critical aspects in the tuna sector, with vessels being thoroughly audited based on the requirements established in UNE 195006.

Likewise, by means of the AENOR certification of the APR Chain of Custody, the consumer can differentiate the canned tuna that has been caught in a responsible way by labelling the AENOR APR Mark.

Within the 2020 Food of Spain Awards of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that "recognize the work carried out by companies and professionals that have distinguished themselves by producing, offering and disseminating quality Spanish food, as well as their contribution to the development of the Spanish food sector in a sustainable and efficient way", the award in the category of Fisheries and Aquaculture Production has fallen on a company certified with AENOR Responsible Tuna Fishing. As the source himself cites, "the implementation of the seal has made it possible to develop the certification of sustainable practices in the chain of custody of tuna production, the first of its kind worldwide. This seal is a necessary complement to ensure the traceability of the product. It takes into account the guidelines of the ILO (International Labour Organization) and is the first to consider social aspects included in international conventions."

  • Related standards: Responsibly Fished Tuna APR (UNE 195006)

Main requirements assessed by AENOR

For Bluefin Tuna

  • Environmental sustainability criteria

  • Traceability

  • Animal welfare

  • Authenticity

  • Good handling practices

For those companies certified in "Good management of fisheries, aquaculture and processing of bluefin tuna in accordance with RP B95.05", the specific mention is allowed: "Good management of fisheries, aquaculture and processing of bluefin tuna certified by AENOR"

For Tropical Tuna

  • Working Conditions: Social and safety conditions at work aligned with Convention 188 of the International Labour Organization (minimum age, medical examinations, contracts, wages, hours of rest, rest between campaigns, staffing, illness, repatriation, medical care, prevention of occupational risks and social security)
  • Control of Fishing Activity:
    • Flag State License and Authorization
    • Authorization of Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs)
    • Satellite geo-location system
    • Fishing diary
    • Control of fishing activity (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
    • Catch certificates
  • Sanitary Control: Sanitary Registration
  • Maritime Control:
    • Basic Vessel Documentation
    • IMO number of the global maritime information system
    • Vessel classification (including quick freeze cargo)
    • Protection and indemnity insurance
    • Health Registration
  • Good Fishing Practices:
    • Use of feds that reduce gillnets of associated species
    • Associated species release manoeuvres
    • On-board observers (human or electronic) in 100% of fishing activity
On the other hand, those fishing industries that want to make use of the AENOR APR Mark on their tuna-based products will have to be evaluated in accordance with the Chain of Custody requirements, showing that all the tuna labelled with the AENOR Mark comes from vessels certified by APR in UNE 195006. Likewise, vessels must be in a program to improve the FIP fishery.

Sectors and experience of the Certification

Food Sector:  Product Certification

  •  Tropical Tuna: currently more than 60 vessels have chosen this certification and several canning companies have chosen to certify the chain of custody of their canned tuna.

  •  Bluefin Tuna: certifying bluefin tuna since 2020.

Chain of Custody audits can be integrated with BRCGS, IFS, ISO 22000 and FSSC.