Saving Seafood

Research shows inefficient fishing costs global companies over $51bn annually

November 28, 2018 — An international research initiative has calculated that fishing companies worldwide are losing between $51-$83 billion in unrealized economic benefits every year due to overexploitation and underperforming fish stocks.

According to research undertaken by experts at the organization Sea Around Us, companies are spending too much for the fish, revenue and profits that they ultimately generate.

The organization’s latest report studied menhaden fisheries off the coast of the US and anchovies off the west shores of Peru. In both cases, Sea Around Us believes that profits could be substantially increased if stocks had been fished more intelligently.

“We found that Atlantic and Gulf menhaden stocks were in a healthy state and were being exploited below sustainable levels. By not augmenting their catches the two largest companies targeting them were losing $50 million in additional revenues and $12 million in profits,” lead author Tim Cashion said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sea Around Us identified that Peru could also have increased its annual revenues by $3m – $9.1m from 2011 to 2015 if anchovy stocks had been allowed to recover in that time.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Peru becomes second nation to put fishing vessels on public monitoring site

October 29th, 2018 — Peru has taken a “bold” step toward making its commercial fishing practices more transparent, putting at least 1,300 of its industrial fishing vessels on a publicly accessible website so that their locations can be monitored in real-time, Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and Oceana report in a jointly issued statement.

The change marks a 10-fold increase in the number of Peruvian vessels detectable by GFW’s Automatic Identification System (AIS), and represents a big boost in efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the groups said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Fishmeal industry optimistic on upcoming Peruvian anchovy season

October 15, 2018 — Fishmeal and fish oil industry sources are optimistic about the upcoming Peruvian anchovy fishing season, which might start earlier than expected, in mid-November.

Peru’s ministry of production (Produce) is expected to announce the start of the fishing season around the end of October, taking into account the outcome of the maritime institute’s ongoing evaluation.

“Sea conditions are optimal and good reproduction has already started on the acoustic cruise that will end at the end of October,” said Humberto Speziani, IFFO board member and former president of IFFO and of the Peruvian National Fisheries Society (SNP).

Although the evaluation hasn’t yet been completed, it seems that biomass in the water is abundant, which could lead to a quota of 2 million-2.5m metric tons, according to sources. Despite rumors that the quota could be as high as 2.5m metric tons, 2m-2.2m metric tons is more in line with the historical average, one source pointed out.

“2m-2.5m metric tons is quite a reliable assumption of quota,” Jean-Francois Mittaine, an analyst with 30 years experience in the sector, told Undercurrent News, adding that fishmeal and fish oil prices were currently “quite stable”.

Super prime fishmeal is currently priced at around $1,630-1,650 per metric ton, while fish oil is at around $1,350/t, according to industry sources in Peru. Meanwhile, prices in China were slightly falling, driven by expectations of a good upcoming Peruvian season, according to sources.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Japan, Peru using cutting-edge technology to combat IUU fishing

October 2, 2018 — Japan and Peru, two of the world’s biggest players when it comes to seafood, are hoping to crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in their exclusive economic zones through increased use of cutting-edge technology.

A key player in both countries’ efforts is the Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization with the goal of “advancing sustainability of the oceans through increased transparency.” Its mapping platform, which can be found on the GFW website, allows anyone to view or download data and investigate global fishing activity in near real-time, for free. GFW was founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google.

Global Fishing Watch’s tracking of automatic identification system (AIS) messages from ocean-going boats is now being used to fight illegal transshipment inside and near Japan’s exclusive economic zone. GFW recently signed onto a collaboration with the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong to investigate IUU fishing and strengthen transparency and governance of fisheries within the region.

To detect pairs of vessels meeting at sea, GFW and analysts at SkyTruth and Google applied machine learning algorithms to more than 30 billion automatic identification system (AIS) messages from ocean-going boats to find tell-tale transshipment behavior, such as two vessels alongside each other long enough to transfer catch, crew, or supplies. AIS is a collision avoidance system that constantly transmits a vessel’s location at sea. These transmissions are collected by satellite receivers and delivered to GFW for automated processing. Nearly all refrigerated cargo vessels carry AIS and those ships receiving fish can be identified and their activity plotted on the map.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Peru anchovy biomass at record high

September 20, 2018 — During the last century Peru’s anchovy biomass reached its highest level in 25,000 years, according to Francois Gerlotto, a researcher with France’s Institute for Development Research (IRD).

The message is that “we are at a high level of productivity and that we must adapt to climate variability”, said the French scientist during his presentation at the Marine Sustainability Conference, organized by Peru’s National Fisheries Society.

“While it is true that we must reduce fishing pressure when biomass is at low levels, we must not believe that this will solve everything, because there are other variables that must be taken into account to ensure the sustainability of the sea,” he said.

Gerlotto also said that “the solution is not to stop fishing to protect the ecosystem, but to produce food more efficiently”, echoing the words of recently re-elected International Coalition of Fishing Associations (ICFA) president Javier Garat.

Gerlotto, who is also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Regional Organization of Fisheries Management of the South Pacific (OROP-PS), reported that this institution has proposed the creation of a working group to monitor the habitat of fishing resources.

In that sense, he considered that the possible return of some species, such as horse mackerel and sardine, that are not present in Peruvian waters currently, will depend on the conditions of their habitat.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Peru’s Anchovy Season Has Officially Ended With Shortfall

February 2, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Peru’s anchovy fishing season officially concluded at the end of January. Fishing was constrained by fishing bans and restrictions put in place due to the large percentage of juveniles.

The bans were lifted in early January, but the season closed less than a month later due to the beginning of spawning.

According to Wayne Bacon of Hammersmith Marketing Ltd., the Peruvian anchovy fishery failed to reach their quota. The total catch appears to be at 650,000 m/t, which is under the anticipated quota by approximately 850,000 tons.

The catch will produce 148,000 metric tons of fishmeal.

Trade sources told Bacon that approximately 160,000 m/t of fishmeal has been presold. With production expected to be less than 150,000 metric tons, there is speculaton that there will be limited supplies for new sales, not already contracted.

This sets the stage for prices of fishmeal to increase.

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

 

SFP report: Better management happening for reduction fisheries

October 30, 2017 — Sustainable Fisheries Partnership has released its annual sustainability overview of reduction fisheries for 2017, showing an overall improvement in their management.

The report, “Reduction Fisheries: SFP Fisheries Sustainability Overview 2017,” reviewed 20 of the most significant fisheries used for the production of fishmeal and fish oil, concluding that 81 percent of the total catch volume out of those fisheries came from stocks that are “reasonably well managed or better.”

“This compares to 57.4 percent last year – a very large improvement,” according to an SFP press release.

An estimated 1.7 million metric tonnes –  or 17 percent – of the total catch used for reduction purposes came from poorly managed fisheries, “a significant drop compared to 42.6 percent last year,” according to SFP.

Of the 20 stocks used for the survey, 10 have fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, 19 have fisheries that are covered by the IFFO Responsible Sourcing certification, and three are covered by fishery improvement projects. According to the SFP, more than two-thirds of the production covered in its study comes from fisheries that are MSC-certified or under full assessment (25 percent), or in a FIP (44 percent). Those include the newly launched FIPs for Peruvian anchovy (north-central stock) and Mauritanian small pelagic species.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

HÉCTOR SOLDI: Clear waters, clear hearts: Now is the time for more transparency in our oceans

July 5, 2017 — Last month, leaders from around the world gathered in New York City for the United Nations’ Ocean Conference. The UN Ocean Conference was an opportunity for countries to discuss how we will implement one of the organization’s key conservation goals — how to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”

As Peru’s vice minister of fisheries and aquaculture, I came to the UN Ocean Conference to announce a major new transparency measure we are undertaking to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable management of our marine resources.

Peru is making its national vessel tracking data publicly available through Global Fishing Watch, an organization that provides the first global view of commercial fishing activity. Global Fishing Watch already uses public broadcast data collected by satellite and terrestrial receivers to show the movement of vessels over time and identify fishing activity. The addition of our government’s data to the platform will provide the world with an even clearer view of fishing activity in our oceans.

We are also pleased to have been joined by Indonesia, which fulfilled a similar transparency commitment the country made in 2015. Indonesia’s vessel tracking data is now public and available for the first time through Global Fishing Watch.

Read the full opinion piece at The Hill

Peru Commits to Make National Vessel Tracking Data Publicly Available

June 9, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Peruvian government made a commitment to make its national vessel tracking data publicly available through Global Fishing Watch, which provides the first global view of commercial fishing activity.

The commitment was announced at The Ocean Conference hosted by the United Nations in New York City and is the result of Oceana’s collaboration with the Peruvian government to increase transparency of commercial fishing in Peru’s waters.

“Peru has committed to join Global Fishing Watch as a demonstration of transparency,” said Héctor Soldi, Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Peru’s Ministry of Production. “This technology platform, based on satellite data from fishing vessels to create a global vision of commercial fishing, enables anyone to follow fishing activity anywhere on the oceans. This is another demonstration of the Peruvian government’s commitment to fight illegal activities at sea and promote the sustainable use of the extraordinary marine productivity on our coastline. The Peruvian government intends to make the utmost effort to achieve the sustainable management of our fisheries in order to increase its contribution to nutrition and global food security.”

Global Fishing Watch uses public broadcast data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), collected by satellite and terrestrial receivers, to show the movement of vessels over time. Global Fishing Watch uses this information to track vessel movement and classify it as “fishing” or “non-fishing” activity. While AIS is required for the largest vessels that catch a disproportionately large amount of fish, adding Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data, which is required by some governments, to the Global Fishing Watch platform will provide the world with an even clearer view of fishing activity on our oceans. Together, AIS and VMS data offer the most accurate and comprehensive dataset. The announcement today will improve the information available to governments, fishery managers, seafood suppliers and buyers, journalists, researchers, nonprofit organizations and citizens around the world.

“Oceana has worked closely with the Peruvian government to convey the importance of transparency on our oceans, especially with regard to fishing activities,” said Patricia Majluf, Vice President of Oceana Peru. “Everyone should have access to the most comprehensive data available to best manage our fisheries and protect our ocean resources. Combined with Peru’s vessel tracking data, Global Fishing Watch will offer an invaluable depiction of what is happening in our waters. This is a huge step for Peru to emerge as a world leader in promoting transparency at sea.”

Funding partners for Global Fishing Watch include the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Wyss Foundation, The Waterloo Foundation and Adessium Foundation. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Wyss Foundation are also funders of Oceana’s work in Peru.

“Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation supports efforts to restore balance to marine ecosystems across the globe,” said Justin Winters, Executive Director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. “There are far too many areas of our oceans on the brink of total collapse because of illegal and overfishing activity. In order to implement solutions that protect these vulnerable habitats and marine life, the global community needs to see what is actually happening beyond the horizon. International leaders should follow the leads of Indonesia and Peru to prioritize transparency at sea.”

“We applaud the commitments by Peru and Indonesia to release their previously private vessel tracking data and encourage other countries to follow their lead,” said Jacqueline Savitz, Vice President for the United States and Global Fishing Watch at Oceana. “Together, with forward-thinking governments like these, we can bring greater transparency to the oceans. By publishing fishing data, governments and citizens can unite to help combat illegal fishing worldwide. With more eyes on the ocean, there are fewer places for illegal fishers to hide.”

“Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative supports a groundbreaking approach to reform both local and industrial fishing simultaneously. Our approach relies on and leverages transparency and accountability on the international, national and local levels,” said Antha Williams, Head of Environmental Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “These announcements from two of the world’s largest fishing nations are a significant, encouraging step. We hope that other countries will follow their lead.”

“Around the world, we are seeing how countries that implement science-based policies are restoring the productivity of their fisheries and bringing life back to the seas,” said Molly McUsic, president of the Wyss Foundation. “These commitments from Peru and Indonesia are milestones in the global movement toward healthier oceans. These commitments will improve transparency, enable better management and decision-making, and yield economic and environmental benefits.”

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

Indonesia makes its fishing fleet visible to the world through Global Fishing Watch

June 8, 2017 — This week, at the United Nation’s Ocean Conference, the Republic of Indonesia becomes the first nation ever to publish Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data revealing the location and activity of its commercial fishing fleet. The new data being made public on the Global Fishing Watch public mapping platform reveals commercial fishing in Indonesian waters and areas of the Indian Ocean where it had previously been invisible to the public and other nations.

Susi Pudjiastuti, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs for the Republic of Indonesia, is taking a bold step toward increasing in her country’s . Today she urges other nations to do the same.

“Illegal fishing is an international problem, and countering it requires cross border cooperation between countries,” says Minister Susi. “I urge all nations to join me in sharing their vessel monitoring data with Global Fishing Watch. Together, we can begin a new era in transparency to end illegal and unreported fishing.”

Also at the UN Ocean’s Conference, Global Fishing Watch has committed to host any country’s VMS data, calling on other governments to follow Indonesia’s lead. “We believe publicly shared VMS will become a powerful new standard for transparent operation in commercial fishing,” says Paul Woods, Global Fishing Watch CEO and Chief Technology Officer for SkyTruth, a founding partner of Global Fishing Watch along with Oceana and Google. “SkyTruth has been collaborating with the Indonesian government for the past two years to really understand their VMS data and find new ways for VMS to enhance their fisheries management.”

Working closely with Oceana toward a united goal of transparency at sea, Peru becomes the first nation to follow Indonesia’s lead. Vice Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hector Soldi, announced Peru’s intent to publicly share their VMS data in Global Fishing Watch.

“We applaud the commitments made by Peru and Indonesia to publish their previously private vessel tracking data and encourage other countries to follow their lead,” said Jacqueline Savitz, Senior Vice President for the United States and Global Fishing Watch at Oceana. “Together, with forward-thinking governments like these, we can bring even greater transparency to the oceans. By publishing fishing data and using Global Fishing Watch, governments and citizens can unite to help combat illegal fishing worldwide. With more eyes on the ocean, there are fewer places for illegal fishers to hide.”

Read the full story at Phys.org