Japan launches first tuna FIP with help of Walmart subsidiary

The largest port for fresh long-line and pole-and-line tuna landings in Japan is now the home of Japan's first tuna fisheries improvement project (FIP), the Nachi Katsuura Longline Albacore Tuna FIP.

The FIP comprises 10,000 metric tons of albacore tuna caught in Japanese waters by fishing company No. 78 Kaiou Maru and involves collaboration from Yamasa Wakiguchi, retailer Seiyu GK (a Japanese subsidiary of Walmart), Ocean Outcomes, and Seafood Legacy.

Due to a variety of factors including overfishing, ineffective management by Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs), and opaque regulation, many tuna populations are at a fraction of their historical levels.