A PROVEN EXPERTISE
A FAMILY-OWNED FLEET
Ocean Products Tahiti group operates 8 fishing vessels.
While always striving towards the future, the company has launched a program to modernize and expand its fleet by building new vessels with a Polynesian shipyard.
Those new French generation vessels are faster and have lower energy consumption, which makes it easier to navigate through the vastness of the French Polynesian EEZ (5.5 millions km2).
We use the longline fishing technique, which consists of attaching multiple baited branch lines on a main line.
The technique is selective and targets adult fish which are then individually treated. Purse seine or trawl fishing are prohibited in French Polynesia.
QUALITY OF TREATMENT
The consumption of raw fish is a local tradition among the Polynesians, just like the Japanese, which therefore give these two cultures a particular sensitivity to the quality of the fish.
In order to have a better quality of fish, it is necessary to work on three points:
- the processing of fish on board of the vessel,
- the processing of fish in an onshore workshop,
- and its delivery to the customer in good conditions.
1 FISH TREATMENT WHEN
IT COMES OUT OF THE WATER
When it comes to fish processing on board, Polynesian fishermen get inspiration from Japanese techniques.
First of all, the longline is the fishing gear used because it is selective of larger fish. Once on board, the fish is killed using a Japanese “ikejime” technique which consists of killing the fish and removing its main nerve in order to ensure the greatest freshness and the best possible taste.
2 ONSHORE PROCESS
When the boat returns from its fishing trip, the fish are landed at dawn to take advantage of the lower temperatures rather than during the day. Then the fish is either sold to fish wholesalers or at the auction.
On land, the fish is filleted using a Polynesian technique by which the fish is hanged down by the tail to combine comfort and efficiency.
The loins can then be vacuumed pack to increase their use-by date.
SUSTAINABLE FISHERY AND CERTIFICATIONS
The first professional experiences of Georges Moarii within the marine research institute of French Polynesia deeply anchored the concepts of preserving marine resources and its environments.
The Ocean Products Tahiti group has been defending a sustainable exploitation of French Polynesia’s marine resources since 1993.
In 2018, the Polynesian longline fishery and the company Ocean Products Tahiti have been MSC Certified (Marine Stewardship Council – www.msc.org) for albacore and yellowfin tuna.
This ecolabel recognizes the sustainability of the fishery through strict specifications that ensure the following: the efficiency of fisheries management, the state of the stock, and the traceability of the products.