SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — Oct 17, 2014 — The World Wildlife Fund has released a report (link) charging that there remains a significant problem with illegally harvested king crab in Russia.
To make this case, the WWF relies on customs data over the past ten years – during which time there was a well known and highly publicized illegal fishery, which resulted in trials and arrests of some of the principal operators.
However, the Russian government has been attempting to crack down on this level of IUU fishing for years, and WWF admits that this has had some success. WWF's own data show that their estimates of IUU crab harvest in Russia in 2013 was the lowest in 14 years.
However, the WWF does document some instances of illegal operations in 2014. This is not a problem that has dissappeared, but it is a problem that is being successfully managed.
For this reason, the focus on the magnitude of the problem over the past 10-12 years, as opposed to the way in which this problem has been reduced is somewhat misleading.
In particular, there is little evidence provided by WWF that American imports of Russian crab are based on IUU fish.
The traceability required by many purchasers, the enforcement actions taken by NOAA, and the publicity over IUU crab have meant that virtually all the crab imported into the US is properly documented, and that companies are taking steps to understand and catch forgeries or false documentation. This is primarily done by purchasing through reputable known suppliers who can account for their chain of custody.
“The magnitude of illegal crab fishing threatens the long-term sustainability of the fishery and puts the western Bering Sea marine ecosystem at risk,” said Michele Kuruc, WWF vice president of marine policy. “The US is likely importing large quantities of crab and other seafood which may have been illegally caught. The problem is the US is unable to say how much is illegal. We need a way to obtain and assess this information if we want to address this global illegal fishing problem.”
The WWF fails to make the case that the US is 'likely' importing large quantities of IUU crab. It is well known that Japanese crab processing companies in Hokkaido have long been the principal buyers – as live crab can be landed and sold directly to these packers. The Japanese-Russian agreement on enforcement, though repeatedly delayed, is now coming into force in December, and has resulted in a last minute rush of IUU landings in Hokkaido.
However, even here the problem is well on its way to a resolution, with the crackdown cutting the volume of illegal live crab landings in Japan by 75% to 80%.
WWF says the Russian government has recognized for years that there is corruption and widespread illegal activity in its fisheries sector. In 2013, it took an important step forward by putting forth a set of ambitious domestic goals to address the causes and conditions that enable illegal harvesting. It also has started developing bilateral agreements with its major trade partners–the US, Japan, South Korea, and China.
“Russia cannot solve this problem without cooperation from buyers of Russian seafood,” said Konstantin Zgurovsky, the head of the WWF-Russia marine program. “We need better port control and a transparent, international monitoring system of fishing activity and seafood trade. Otherwise, we may lose stocks of our most valuable species like crab," says WWF.
The report is full of good information about the quotas and status of Russian stocks. However, the data does not support the conclusions at the current time, although within the past decade there is no question this has been a seriously out of control fishery.
Ultimately the IUU issue in Russia is about corruption, and so long as corruption is prevalent there will never be a time when no illegal fishing takes place. It is admirable that the WWF would want to take on the issue of corruption in Russia, which extends not just in the fishing industry, but permeates the entire economy. However, there is no need to scare US buyers about the origin of their king crab in making this case.
Finally, WWF does not take into account golden king crab when calculating the percentage of Russian crab in the US market. Their average percentage – of around 77% – refers to the Russian market share of red and blue king crab in the US.
In our own analysis, when golden king crab, sold in the US as king crab, is added to the mix, the Alaska share is generally between 25% and 40%.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.