Over 500 fisheries worldwide have achieved certification to the MSC Fisheries Standard, a significant milestone for global sustainable fishing. However, numerous fisheries still face challenges in meeting the MSC requirements for certification. To support these fisheries, the MSC developed the In-Transition to MSC (ITM) pilot programme to assist fisheries in improving their stock management and minimising environmental impact, with the goal of achieving certification within five years.
This pilot required participating fisheries to undergo regular, independent assessments, providing a structured guideline for fisheries to track their progress toward achieving MSC standards. In August 2024, ICV Africa, representing part of South Africa’s albacore tuna pole-and-line fishery, became the first fishery to earn MSC sustainability certification after joining the ITM programme in 2020.
While the fishery targets albacore and yellowfin tuna, the ITM programme focused specifically on albacore for its certification. To support ICV Africa’s journey, CapMarine was contracted in 2023 to deploy observers both at sea and on the docks to monitor catch and bycatch. Offload monitoring started in late 2023 at Hout Bay and Cape Town harbours, before expanding to include offshore monitoring onboard ICV vessels. CapMarine guided ICV towards certification, drawing on their experience in the certified South Africa Hake Trawl fishery and their role as managers of the South Africa Hake Longline ITM Fishery Improvement Project.
Looking ahead, ICV Africa and CapMarine plan to maintain the MSC certification through continued collaboration and adherence to MSC targets. Key targets include achieving 20% independent observer coverage for offload monitoring and a minimum of 200 sea days (~5% coverage) each year.
