Commercial fishing businesses continue to find difficulties in accessing documentation of baits imported from overseas countries.
Speaking during the Strengthening Knowledge Capacity on Fish Bait Importation Requirements Workshop in Suva this week, Fiji Fishing Industry Association’s Nilesh Ram said as per the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) requirements, business stakeholders were required to provide export permits to accompany all documentation in order to import bait into Fiji.
Mr Ram said most export countries were not issuing export permits which normally contained the species of the bait and where it originated from.
“It is hard to address this issue so the big issue for us is how we go about getting these documentations,” he said.
MSC senior tuna fisheries outreach manager Bill Holden told Mr Ram that the issue needed to be addressed between business operators and Government.
“You have to ask the suppliers where they get their bait from. I know it’s hard but if they want to continue supplying bait they have to meet certification requirements,” Mr Holden said.
“All that is needed is documentation and some proof their supply base is from a sustainable source.”
Mr Holden said this was an issue that would be best tackled with the Ministry of Fisheries.
“It’s a very straightforward information that is needed about these bait supplies.”
Meanwhile, the Fiji Fishing Industry Association is currently working on the MSC certification of albacore and yellowfin to guarantee that fish is sustainably caught.
Local fishing businesses will be able to sell local tuna in foreign markets at the MSC standard price which is higher than normal market prices once they acquire the certification.
