Saving Seafood

John Kerry at Milan Expo: ‘There is too much money chasing too few fish’

October 19, 2015 — MILAN — Secretary Kerry travelled to Milan, Italy, on 16 October, to deliver remarks in commemoration of World Food Day and visit the US Pavilion at Milan EXPO 2015. While in Milan, the Secretary also met with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to discuss the bilateral relationship, as well as global and regional issues.

Remarks at the Expo Milan 2015

“…And now consider that the global population is growing – and growing unbelievably fast. In the next 35 years, we will go from about 7 billion people to 9 billion people walking the Earth. And all of them will need healthy food to thrive and survive. So given the hunger and the poverty on the Earth today, the challenge of making sure that future generations have enough to eat is not a small challenge.”

“Now, obviously, it starts with making sure that we’re producing more food. By some estimates, the world will have to increase food production by 60 percent between now and 2050 in order to keep pace with the rising number of mouths to feed. But growing and raising more food is only part of the challenge. We also have to be better stewards of the food that we have.”

Read the full story at FIS World News

 

EU probes illegal fishing, slave labor before Thai ruling

BRUSSELS (AP) — October 1, 2015 — The European Union is including Thailand’s actions to stamp out slave labor in the fishing industry during its investigation whether to impose sanctions on the major fish-exporting nation for failing to crack down on illegal and unregulated fishing.

The EU is expected to rule by the end of the year whether to impose an EU seafood import ban on Thailand and is in negotiations with Bangkok on amending a series of fishing practices which it considers as seriously contributing to the depletion of fish stocks.

The EU has successfully forced several nations to change its fisheries policies, but in the case of Thailand though, it is also looking into the social conditions of some fishermen that many have called slavery.

An AP investigation has shown that enslaved fishermen are routinely hauled from Thailand to work on smaller Thai trawlers in foreign waters where they are given little or no pay. Hundreds of former slaves told AP they were beaten or witnessed other crew members being attacked. They were routinely denied medicine, forced to work 22-hour shifts with no days off and given inadequate food and water.

“We are very concerned about the situation, both at the level of fishing and slavery. And we think we have to deal with both issues,” a senior EU fisheries official said on condition of anonymity because the talks with the Thai authorities were still ongoing.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

EU Extends Thailand’s “Yellow Card” Deadline Past October to Fix Trafficking Issues

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Bangkok Post] — September 18, 2015 — Thailand has been given more time by the European Union to stamp out illegal fishing practices beyond the initial deadline of October, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Thursday.

Maj Gen Sansern said the respite was confirmed by a Thai delegation that has gone to the EU Council headquarters in Brussels to report progress in Thailand’s efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In April, the EU yellow-carded the country’s fishing industry giving it six months to fix its IUU situation or face an expensive ban on seafood imports into the EU.

Maj Gen Sansern said Thailand was being given more time to counter the IUU situation, but stressed that the country must make tangible achievements on three major issues, including the promulgation of the Fisheries Act, the implementation of Marine Fisheries Management Policy, and the implementation of a national action plan. These issues were expected to have been dealt with by the October deadline.

He did not say whether the EU had set a new deadline.

“The prime minister is glad that the EU understands the Thai government’s intentions and is allowing it to continue to solve the problem,” Maj Gen Sansern said. “Thailand has shown its sincerity in tackling the problem and there has been progress in several areas.”

Thailand’s overall annual exports to the EU are estimated to be worth between 23.2 billion baht and 30 billion baht. Its global fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.

Friend of the Sea Will Host Major Retailers in Bangkok to Discuss Seafood Supply Chain Improvements

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 17, 2015 — Major retailers will have an opportunity to improve their seafood sourcing policies at a meeting in Bangkok this autumn.

Organised by Friend of the Sea, in cooperation with the Earth Island Institute and the support of the Thai Tuna Industry Association, the One to One Meeting will run from 9-12 November.

The event, including keynote presentations from Infofish, TTIA, Global Gap and much networking, is a unique opportunity for delegates of major retailers and catering chains to meet certified international seafood suppliers.

Retailers are invited to participate, free of charge, as Friend of the Sea recognizes their crucial role in motivating suppliers to implement sustainable practices.

The first edition of the One to One Meeting, held in Venice in November 2013, brought together 16 retailers and representatives of 38 certified companies from all over the world.

“We are truly delighted to see that many executives have already confirmed their presence at the One to One Meeting,” comments Paolo Bray, Director and Founder of Friend of the Sea and Director of the Dolphin-Safe project in Europe.

“This is a clear sign that Friend of the Sea and Dolphin-Safe represent reliable and valuable certifications to retailers and catering. Our event is the only one to one for sustainable seafood and companies should not miss this opportunity”.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

More Than 2,000 Enslaved Fishermen Rescued in 6 Months

September 17, 2015 — AMBON, Indonesia (AP) — More than 2,000 fishermen have been rescued this year from brutal conditions at sea, liberated as a result of an Associated Press investigation into seafood brought to the U.S. from a slave island in eastern Indonesia.

Dozens of Burmese men in the bustling port town of Ambon were the latest to go home, some more than a decade after being trafficked onto Thai trawlers. Grabbing one another’s hands, the men walked together toward buses last week. As they pulled away for the airport, some of those still waiting their turn to go home cheered, throwing their arms in the air.

“I’m sure my parents think I’m dead,” said Tin Lin Tun, 25, who lost contact with his family after a broker lured him to Thailand five years ago. Instead of working in construction, as promised, he was sold onto a fishing boat and taken to Indonesia. “I’m their only son. They’re going to cry so hard when they see me.”

The reunion he envisions has played out hundreds of times since March, after the AP tracked fish — caught by men who were savagely beaten and caged — to the supply chains of some of America’s biggest food sellers, such as Wal-Mart, Sysco and Kroger, and popular brands of canned pet food like Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams. It can turn up as calamari at fine restaurants, as imitation crab in a sushi roll or as packages of frozen snapper relabeled with store brands that land on our dinner tables. The U.S. companies have all said they strongly condemn labor abuse and are taking steps to prevent it.

In response, a multimillion-dollar Thai-Indonesian fishing business has been shut down, at least nine people have been arrested and two fishing cargo vessels have been seized. In the U.S., importers have demanded change, three class-action lawsuits are underway, new laws have been introduced and the Obama administration is pushing exporters to clean up their labor practices. The AP’s work was entered into the congressional record for a hearing, and is scheduled to be brought up for discussion again later this month.

The largest impact, by far, has been the rescue of some of the most desperate and isolated people in the world. More than 2,000 men from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos have been identified or repatriated since the AP’s initial story ran, according to the International Organization for Migration and foreign ministries. The tally includes eight fishermen trafficked aboard a Thai cargo ship seized in neighboring Papua New Guinea.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The New York Times

 

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Applaud US and Russia for Historic Cooperation to Combat Illegal, Unregulated, & Unreported (IUU) Fishing

September 11, 2015 — PORTLAND, Ore. –– The following was released by Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers:

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) is pleased to announce the signing of a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The agreement was signed earlier today as part of the 26th U.S.- Russia Intergovernmental Consultative Committee (ICC) on Fisheries meeting. This agreement has been several years in the making and signifies a new era of cooperation between the two nations in combating Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing.

ABSC President Edward Poulsen issued the following statement: “For far too many years the Alaskan crab industry has faced stiff market competition from illegally harvested Russian king crab. The blatant poaching on the Russian side has impacted not only Alaskan crab fishermen and Alaskan coastal communities, but also legitimate Russian producers and Russian citizens. We welcome this historic agreement and are hopeful that it will result in meaningful action being taken to halt this illegal activity.”

Today’s agreement includes provisions for increased coordination and cooperation between our two nations and should improve the ability for US customs agents to detect illegal crab shipments into the US as well as aid in the investigation and eventual prosecution of suspected criminals. The Alaskan crab industry has lost an estimated $600 million in revenue since 2000 due to illegally harvested Russian crab. In addition, Alaskan coastal communities have also lost millions more in tax revenue. As such, the agreement has broad support from within the industry.

View a PDF of the release here

 

Consumers and Lawmakers Take Steps to End Forced Labor in Fishing

WASHINGTON — September 13, 2015 — Federal lawmakers, State Department officials, fishing and pet food companies, and class-action lawyers are stepping up efforts to combat forced labor at sea.

Last week, a group of consumers filed a class-action lawsuit in California against Mars, accusing the company, among the biggest producers of seafood-based pet food in the world, of failing to disclose its dependence on forced labor. A similar lawsuit was filed in late August against Nestlé, also a major producer of seafood-based pet food.

Several lawmakers have also begun trying to address the problem. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, proposed legislation in August aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in corporate supply chains. The bill requires larger companies to report in their financial filings what they are doing to prevent the use of trafficked workers.

Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York, who introduced similar legislation in the House,  sent a letter last week to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which monitors the oceans, urging the agency to focus not just on illegal fishing but also on preventing “trafficking and slavery in the fishing industry.”

MARY BETH TAYLOR: Seafood Companies Bolster the President’s Fight Against IUU Fishing

September 9, 2015 — Last year, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration set its sights on preserving America’s seafood and the global supply chain by launching the Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud. The global companies that put seafood on the tables of millions of Americans have been a part of this important effort to fight back against IUU activities. The Task Force has identified many popular species of seafood on its proposed list of the most “at risk” species for illegal fishing and seafood fraud – including, recently, tuna.

Fortunately, many of the world’s tuna companies are already taking proactive steps aimed at combating IUU fishing within the industry. These companies are part of an innovative public-private partnership that has committed the world’s leading seafood companies to transparency and accountability by way of 21 conservation measures and commitments aimed at improving the sustainability of the world’s tuna fisheries and the greater marine ecosystem – including commitments designed to combat IUU fishing.

Compliance and transparency are basic tenets of business operations the world over. Companies of every shape and size – from financial institutions to energy firms to consumer packaged goods companies and more – serve their customers and the general public best when they put a premium on transparency and accountability. At the most basic level, companies are legally bound to comply with numerous national and international environmental regulations. And many businesses take the next step by publishing an annual report on their corporate sustainability and responsibility activities (CSR).

Read the full opinion piece from Mary Beth Taylor at Triple Pundit

Fishing pirates flee Thailand in black-listed boat

Bangkok, Thailand — September 9, 2015 — A notorious black-listed fishing vessel has broken free of Thai naval authorities off the Thai resort island of Phuket and sailed into international waters.

Thai officials say the rusting and decrepit 625-ton Taisan has left behind unpaid bills of  $US66,000 ($94,000) and has on board millions of dollars worth of illegally caught fish.

Thai authorities met on Wednesday to decide whether to send a navy ship in pursuit.

“We blinked and the ship was gone,” Charoen Chamniklang, chief of the Royal Thai Customs and investigation suppression bureau told Phuketwan​ news.

In January the New Zealand navy said the ship, then called the Kunlun, used “evasive tactics” to thwart boarding attempts in Antarctic waters.

Read the full story from The Sydney Morning Herald

Pew Environment Hosting Live Webcast on IUU Fishing

Live Webcast: Progress in the Fight to End Illegal Fishing
Sept. 2, 10:30 a.m. to noon EDT

In just a few weeks, world leaders will address the planet’s most pressing marine issues at the Our Ocean conference in Chile. Will they land a blow against illegal fishing and other crimes—and protect more of our global ocean?

For an exclusive preview of the conference, Pew has gathered an all-star panel of experts and insiders—and you’re invited.

Learn more about the webcast and view the agenda from Pew Environment