Ecuadorian tuna conservation group Tunacons, which is carrying out a fishery improvement project involving the country's purse seiners, will soon enter the full assessment phase in its quest to gain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, the group has said.

The group's MSC process will apply to the purse seine fishery for sets on tuna schools and fish aggregating devices in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the group said in a press release.