Saving Seafood

PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY: Abundant menhaden draw whales and endless dispute over its fishery

April 28, 2019 — Jeff Stewart, the longtime captain of the Cape May Whale Watcher, recalled last seeing whales in Delaware Bay off Cape May County in 1990. Now, as then, the whales follow and prey on bigger schools of menhaden — a footlong fish used for fish-oil supplements, aquaculture feed and bait.

Seeing whales closer to shore is one benefit of the renewed abundance of menhaden, also called mossbunker or just bunker for short. Another is jobs in the menhaden fishery, which used to have operations in Cape May and Monmouth counties. More menhaden theoretically also helps the whales, striped bass, ospreys, dolphins and such that eat them.

This success story began in 2013, when the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission set its first catch limits for menhaden in the waters from Maine to Florida. The fish has done so well since then that the quotas have been raised every year, to 216,000 metric tons.

In December, one of the leading certification bodies for the Marine Stewardship Council recommended that the Atlantic menhaden fishery be certified as sustainable. SAI Global said the fishery scored 83 for sustainability of the stock, 86 for minimizing environmental impacts, and 92 for effective fisheries management — each higher than the average score of 80 required for sustainability certification.

A sustainable and growing menhaden fishery, though, isn’t enough for some. Since at least 1888, when the Rod and Reel Association claimed commercial menhaden boats were taking fish better left as food for species they liked to catch and eat, people have fought over the best use for menhaden.

In the fall of 2017, a coalition of environmental and sport fishing interests, partly led by a unit of the Pew Charitable Trusts, successfully lobbied the fisheries commission to switch to a unique new management approach for a fishery, one based on estimates of how the menhaden population affects other fish and wildlife that prey upon it.

Read the full opinion piece at the Press of Atlantic City

As UN’s SDG14 targets approach, MSC’s Seafood Futures Forum highlights path forward

April 24, 2019 — There’s just one year left to deliver the 2020 targets for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for Life Below Water (SDG14), and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is making a concerted push to reach those goals.

The MSC’s efforts to help the world reach the goals in SDG14 is a big topic at this year’s Seafood Futures Forum, taking place at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium on 8 May, from 8 to 11 a.m. Central European Time. The forum is an opportunity for members of both the seafood industry and of environmental NGOs and conservation groups to come together to both get an update on MSC’s current and future efforts to address unsustainable fishing and to discuss what each sector can do to help.

“This year’s Seafood Futures Forum will cut through the talk to explore how the seafood industry and ocean conservation community can work together to deliver meaningful change,” Dr. Yemi Oloruntuyi, head of accessibility at the MSC and a panelist at the forum, said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Liancheng seeks market niche with MSC-certified bigeye tuna

April 12, 2019 — Last month, a Chinese-operated longline fishery in the Federated States of Micronesia became the first fishery to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification for a bigeye tuna fishery. The fishery, owned by three interconnected Chinese fishing companies, Liancheng Overseas Fishery (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (SZLC), China Southern Fishery Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (CSFC) and Liancheng Overseas Fishery (FSM) Co. Ltd. (FZLC), previously achieved MSC certification for its yellowfin fishery in October 2018. 

Liancheng is also responsible for the Cook Islands South Pacific albacore and yellowfin longline fishery, which achieved MSC certification in 2015. Its yellowfin and bigeye tuna fisheries in the Republic of Marshall Islands are also undergoing an MSC assessment, which should conclude by the end of 2019.The largest Chinese fleet to achieve MSC certification, Liancheng has said it is dedicated to achieving MSC certification for all its fisheries.

Liancheng Senior Vice President of Marketing Joe Murphy talked to SeafoodSource about the firm’s aim to market MSC-certified bigeye catch in China, Japan, Asia, the United States, and Europe. 

SeafoodSource: Where does Liancheng sell its products?

Murphy: Liancheng markets our catch globally including the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, other Asian nations, and Europe. Our company has been involved in tuna from the Pacific Islands and other locations for almost three decades.

SeafoodSource: How important is the MSC accreditation for the domestic Chinese market? Are Chinese consumers very familiar with MSC?

Murphy: While MSC is well-recognized and very important to the European market, there is definite increasing interest in the MSC eco-label use from major retail and foodservice operators in China. The Chinese market has many international hotels committed to offering sustainable foods, so the consumer is seeing the MSC blue eco-label. The Chinese buyers seeking MSC are familiar with the eco-label and what it signifies through their parent companies, as they are major high-end hotel chain restaurants and retailers.

The huge and important use of internet marketing in China also provides exposure to products carrying the MSC logo. This same trend is occurring in the U.S. and now in Japan for the [upcoming 2020 Tokyo] Olympics.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ISSF Welcomes Fisheries, Policy and Conservation Experts to Board of Directors

April 11, 2019 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today three Board of Directors appointments: fisheries scientist Dr. Rohan Currey of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC); “Law of the Sea” scholar and fisheries law policy expert Dr. Martin Tsamenyi of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia; and Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo, a conservation scientist from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Dr. Rohan Currey is responsible for ensuring that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard is based on robust scientific evidence and best practices in ecosystem-based fisheries management — and also implemented effectively in MSC fisheries assessments. Before joining, Dr. Currey was a Principal Scientist at New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, specializing in marine mammal science and Antarctic fisheries science. He represented New Zealand in the International Whaling Commission and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). In CCAMLR, he was the New Zealand Government’s principal science advisor for the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area and the Ross Sea toothfish fishery. Dr. Currey earned a Ph.D. in marine mammal science from the University of Otago, with a research background in cetacean population biology, ecology, mark-recapture analysis, population viability analysis and risk assessment. He is a member the IUCN Species Survival Commission Cetacean Specialist Group; invited participant at the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, where he convenes the sessions on bycatch; and member of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

“ISSF’s mission is to help global tuna fisheries become capable of achieving the MSC certification standard,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “To have representation and input from such a high caliber leader at the MSC is critical, and Dr. Currey’s participation will enhance ISSF’s mission and provide valuable insight as we continue to implement our 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.”

Dr. Martin Tsamenyi is Professor of Law and was the former Director of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Dr. Tsamenyi is a world-recognized expert in the Law of the Sea, oceans policy, marine environmental law, and fisheries law and policy. Dr. Tsamenyi has served as fisheries law advisor to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and legal counsel to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and was Chairman of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). He has also been a consultant to several inter-governmental organizations and governments around the world. In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for service to maritime and fisheries law in the Asia Pacific region, through the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, and to legal education.” Dr. Tsamenyi has provided advice and drafted legislation for a number of countries to combat IUU fishing and take corrective measures in the context of the European Commission’s IUU yellow card identifications, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. Dr. Tsamenyi holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Ghana and Master of International Law and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Australian National University.

“Adopting sound, science-based policy is the best way for sustainability improvements to be made on the water,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Professor Tsamenyi is uniquely able to help ISSF identify both policy gaps and solutions that our organization can address. His experience in policy and law related to highly migratory species, and on-the-ground IUU efforts make him a valuable addition to the Board.”

Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo is Director of the WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative, which brings together 8 WWF Offices towards a joint conservation effort. He is responsible for supporting Mediterranean countries to achieve key conservation and management targets, specifically on fisheries and MPAs. Since 2008, Dr. Di Carlo has been involved in developing and implementing ecosystem-based based management into conservation strategies. While working at Conservation International from 2008 to 2011, Dr. Di Carlo provided support to several country programs around the world, from East Africa to South East Asia, Madagascar and the Mediterranean. After completing his Ph.D. in marine science, Dr. Di Carlo worked as a research scientist at NOAA in the US focusing on coastal marine ecosystems and their adaptive response to disturbance, with special attention to global issues such as climate change, on which he has published extensively. Dr. Di Carlo was President of the World Seagrass Association between 2010 and 2014. From 2012 to 2018, Dr. Di Carlo was a Member of the Board of Directors of MedPAN, the Mediterranean Network of MPA managers. He is part of WWF’s Ocean Leadership Group which sets the organization agenda and goals on ocean protection. He represents WWF in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

“Being that we’re already so familiar with his years of work for our founding partners at WWF, we’re extremely excited to bring Dr. Di Carlo onto the ISSF Board of Directors,” said Vice President of Science at ISSF Dr. Victor Restrepo. “Dr. Di Carlo has truly impressive science and research bona fides, and he is aligned with ISSF’s science-first principles.”

Alfred Schumm, the former Director of the WWF Global Fisheries Programme and now Director of Innovation, Sciences, Technologies and Solutions at WWF, will be stepping down from the ISSF Board after serving ISSF for over eight years.

“Alfred’s departure from the board is bittersweet. We’re thrilled that he has an opportunity to pursue new avenues at WWF, but his insight and expertise with regards to biology and conservation will be greatly missed here on the ISSF board,” said ISSF Board Chair Luciano Pirovano. “Alfred has played a critical role in ISSF’s growth and triumphs over the better part of a decade and we wish him continued success in his new role at WWF.”

Read the full release here

86% of Global Tuna Catch Continues to Come from Stocks at Healthy Levels, But Some Stocks Remain Overfished

April 4, 2019 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

Of the total tuna catch, 86% came from stocks at “healthy” levels — an unchanged share since last reported in October 2018 — according to the March 2019 International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. Skipjack tuna stocks — which remain at healthy levels in all ocean regions — still comprise over one-half of the total catch.

ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report at least twice each year using the most current scientific data on major commercial tuna stocks.

The fishing mortality rating was changed for two stocks since the previous report: The Fishing Mortality rating for both Mediterranean albacore and Western Pacific yellowfin was modified from “yellow” to “green.” The ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) determined that this change was needed to harmonize those ratings and the report’s ratings methodology.

Though many of the recent broad indicators of overall global tuna stock health are positive, there are several stocks of concern that should be noted:

  • The Indian Ocean yellowfin stock has again been rated both as overfished and as suffering overfishing after a new stock assessment presented by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Scientific Committee in late 2018.
  • Similarly, the Pacific Ocean bluefin stock is also considered to be overfished, and overfishing of this stock continues.
  • Eastern Pacific bigeye is experiencing overfishing. Fishing mortality for this species is high.
  • Two consecutive assessments have concluded that Atlantic Ocean bigeye is overfished and that overfishing is still occurring.​

Key Statistics in the Report

  • Total catch: In 2017, as reported in the new report, the total major commercial tuna catch was 4.8 million tonnes. More than half of the total catch (58%) was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (28%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (5%). Bluefin tunas (3 species) accounted for only 1% of the global catch. These percentages changed only slightly from the October 2018 Status of the Stocks report.
  • Abundance or “spawning biomass” levels: Globally, 65% of the 23 stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, 13% are overfished and 22% are at an intermediate level. In terms of total catch, 86% come from healthy stocks, 10% from overfished stocks and 4% from stocks at an intermediate level. Unchanged from the last report, the stocks receiving orange scores — indicating overfished status — were Atlantic Ocean bigeye, Pacific Ocean bluefin and Indian Ocean yellowfin.
  • Fishing mortality levels: 78% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate, 18% are experiencing overfishing, and 4% have a high fishing mortality rate.
  • Largest tuna catches by stock: The five largest catches in tonnes, unchanged since the previous report, are Western Pacific Ocean skipjack, Western Pacific Ocean yellowfin, Indian Ocean skipjack, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack.
  • Tuna production by ocean region: More than half (52%) of the world’s tuna is harvested from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, followed by the Indian Ocean (20%), Eastern Pacific Ocean (13%) and Atlantic Ocean (11%). Catch from Pacific-wide stocks accounts for around 3% of the global catch, while catch in the Southern Hemisphere accounts for less than 1%.
  • Tuna production by fishing gear: 65% of the catch is made by purse seining, followed by longline (11%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous gears (12%). These percentages have changed only slightly since the October report.

About the Report

There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. TheStatus of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated several times per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).

ISSF produces two reports annually that seek to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks: the Status of the Stocks provides a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report.Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.

In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. ​The “Status of the Stocks Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page; users can easily toggle through tuna stock health indicators and filter by location, species and other key stock health and catch factors.

MSC grows its multi-stakeholder board with five new members

April 2, 2019 — Five new members have been appointed to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Board of Trustees, the certification organization announced on 2 April.

The new board members hail from the retail, fishing, and conservation sectors, and include: David Lock, the chairman of Western Australian fishing company Mareterram Ltd.; Giles Bolton, the responsible sourcing director for Tesco plc; Maria Damanaki, the global managing director for oceans from The Nature Conservancy and the former European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Stefanie Moreland, the vice president of government relations, seafood sustainability, and corporate social sustainability from Trident Seafoods Corporation; and Amanda Nickson, the international fisheries director for The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Lock joined the MSC Board of Trustees back in November 2018, while Bolton and Moreland entered the fold in January 2019. Both Damanaki and Nickson are expected to take their seats in July.

The MSC’s Board consists of 15 members spanning industry, academia, conservation, retail, and other fields “carefully selected to ensure decision-making remains balanced and reflects different sectors and interests,” said the MSC.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC establishes new requirements to combat forced and child labor

March 28, 2019 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has announced new requirements designed to address concerns over the use of forced and child labor in the seafood industry.

Introduced as part of an update made to the MSC’s Chain of Custody Standard, the new rules require all MSC certificate-holders to undergo an audit of their labor practices and policies, with the exception of companies that show they are at lower risk of employing child or forced labor.

“Forced and child labor is an industry-wide issue with no quick or easy solution. The new measures are part of a series of updates to both the MSC Chain of Custody Standard and MSC Fisheries Standard to address forced labor in the seafood industry,” MSC said in a press release. “The new labor requirements are part of the wider changes to the MSC Chain of Custody Standard to improve clarity, accessibility, and integrity where necessary.”

The audit requirement will come into effect on 28 September, 2019, with companies given a 12-month grace period to implement a labor audit, according to MSC. The on-site audits now required by MSC must be carried out an independent third-party social auditor using of three labor audit programs recognized by the MSC: the Amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative audit; the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA), or the SA8000 Certification from Social Accountability International. The MSC also said it planned to recognize other labor programs that gain acceptance from the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI).

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC research counters findings of other mislabeling studies

March 26, 2019 — A new Marine Stewardship Council study has found mislabeling of its certified seafood is lower than the average of several other recent studies, which claim to have detected seafood mislabeling rates as high as 30 percent.

MSC’s expansive analysis of 1,402 MSC-certified fish products from 18 countries found that fewer than 1 percent of MSC-labeled seafood products were mislabeled.

The results were published in the journal Current Biology.

“There is widespread concern over the vulnerability of seafood supply chains to deliberate species mislabelling and fraud. In the past, this has included some of the most loved species such as cod being substituted by farmed catfish, which can seriously undermine consumer trust and efforts to maintain sustainable fisheries,” the lead of author of the paper, the MSC’s Jaco Barendse, said in an MSC press release.

The MSC’s ecolabeling and Chain of Custody program is an effective deterrent for systematic and deliberate species substitution and fraud, the organization said.

In the new study, the largest and most comprehensive assessment of MSC-labeled products, MSC worked with laboratories of the TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network and SASA’s (Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture) Wildlife DNA Forensic unit to employ DNA barcoding.

Of the 1,402 seafood products tested, 1,389 were labeled correctly and 13 (0.92 percent) were not. Mislabeled products were found in fresh and frozen pre-packed products and in restaurants, mainly in Western Europe, with one case in the U.S. All cases of mislabeling were identified in whitefish (such as cod, hake, and hoki) and flatfish products.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seattle Shrimp & Seafood Company Joins GSSI

March 26, 2019 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative and Seattle Shrimp & Seafood:

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative is pleased to announce that Seattle Shrimp & Seafood Company has joined the GSSI Global Partnership as a Funding Partner.

Seattle Shrimp & Seafood Company is a global supplier of shrimp and shellfish. Seattle Shrimp & Seafood Company works with GSSI recognized schemes BAP and MSC.

“Seattle Shrimp & Seafood Company is proud to be partnering with the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative and its supporters as an acting member and Funding Partner. We are extremely excited for the opportunity to collaborate with organizations from industry and NGO sectors that are committed to the long-term preservation, sustainability and growth of global fisheries,” said Atsushige Amano, President of Seattle Shrimp & Seafood.

Seafood Fraud: Is your hake fake? Not if it’s ecolabeled!

March 19, 2019 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

DNA barcoding of more than 1400 Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) labelled products has shown that less than 1% were mislabeled, compared with a reported average global seafood mislabeling rate of 30 percent. These results published in the journal Current Biology suggests that the MSC’s ecolabeling and Chain of Custody program is an effective deterrent for systematic and deliberate species substitution and fraud.

The MSC is a global non-profit that sets a benchmark for sustainable fishing and traceable supply chains. If fisheries and supply chain companies get certified, they can use the MSC’s blue fish label on products in stores, on fresh fish counters and on restaurant menus.

Species identification

“There is widespread concern over the vulnerability of seafood supply chains to deliberate species mislabeling and fraud. In the past, this has included some of the most loved species such as cod being substituted by farmed catfish, which can seriously undermine consumer trust and efforts to maintain sustainable fisheries,” said Jaco Barendse, Marine Stewardship Council and lead author on the paper

DNA methods have been widely used to detect species mislabelling and a recent meta-analysis of 4500 seafood product tests from 51 peer-reviewed publications found an average of 30 percent were not the species stated on the label or menu In the present study, the largest and most comprehensive assessment of MSC-labeled products, the MSC worked with laboratories of the TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network and SASA’s (Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture) Wildlife DNA Forensic unit to employ DNA barcoding to identify the species in 1402 MSC certified fish products from 18 countries.

They found that 1389 were labeled correctly and thirteen were not. This represents a total rate of less than 1% (0.92) species mislabeling in contrast to the global average of 30%. Mislabeled products were found in fresh and frozen pre-packed products and in restaurants, mainly in western Europe, with one case in the USA. All cases of mislabeling were identified in whitefish (cods, hakes, hoki) and flatfish products.

Mislabeling or fraud?

There are many reasons that mislabeling may occur. Unintentional mislabeling can result from misidentification of species when the fish is caught, mix-ups during processing, or ambiguities in product naming, such as the use of catchall trade names such as ‘snapper’ or ‘skate’.

Fraud, on the other hand, occurs when there is intentional substitution mainly for financial gain. This is typically when a higher value species is substituted with one of lower value. Fraud may also arise when species from unsustainable or illegal fisheries gain access to the market by passing them off as legally caught fish.

While DNA testing can identify cases of species substitution, on its own it cannot confirm whether this was fraud. To do this it is necessary to trace the product’s movement back through the supply chain to identify the exact step where the issue occurred.

The MSC’s Chain of Custody certification requires that every distributor, processor, and retailer trading certified seafood has a documented traceback system that maintains separation between certified and non-certified seafood, and correctly identifies MSC products at every step.

For the thirteen mislabeled products, records were obtained from each company at each step in the supply chain. Trace-backs revealed that only two mislabeled samples could be confirmed as intentional substitutions with species of non-certified origin. MSC certified products can command higher prices and better market access than non-certified products therefore these substitutions were likely to be fraudulent. Those responsible for the substitutions had their MSC certificates suspended. There were other instances where substitutions inadvertently occurred at the point of capture or during onboard processing – likely due to misidentification between closely related, similar-looking species that co-occur in the catch. There was no discernible financial motive.

“The use of DNA tools to detect substitution in the fish supply chain is well-documented but until now has essentially revealed a depressing story. Our research flips this on its head and demonstrates how we can apply similar technology to validate the success of eco-labels in traceable, sustainable fishing,” said Rob Ogden, TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network and University of Edinburgh.

Next steps

MSC certificates apply only to fish stocks and fisheries, and not entire species. Although MSC Chain of Custody Certification requires separation of MSC and non-MSC certified products, there remains a risk for possible deliberate substitution between certified sustainable and other fish of the same species.

Francis Neat, Head of Strategic Research at the MSC said “While we can get a good indication of whether species-level substitution is taking place, using DNA barcoding and tracebacks, the future for the MSC is to invest in state-of-the-art next generation gene sequencing and isotopic and trace element profiling. This will make it possible to determine which stock a fish product came from, in addition to whether it is the species mentioned on the packaging.”