Saving Seafood

NGO Coalition Identifies Measures to Protect Fisheries Observers

June 13, 2018 — The following was released by FishWise: 

A group of influential NGOs working in sustainable seafood released recommendations for measures to support the safety of observers working aboard tuna fishing vessels, “Policies and Recommendations to Improve the Safety of Fisheries Observers Deployed inTuna Fisheries.” First introduced in March 2018, ten organizations, including the largest association for professional observers, have joined forces to coauthor the document: FishWise, World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Justice Foundation, Greenpeace, International Pole and Line Foundation, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, and the Association for Professional Observers.

Published amid reports of human rights abuses in some seafood supply chains, this new set of recommendations signals a groundswell of support calling for protective measures for observers and other seafood workers. The NGO community plays a vital role in identifying best practices and requesting reforms, and many of the groups supporting these observer safety measures have strong connections to the seafood industry and those working at the Regional Fishery Management Organization level.

Observers play a vital role in the effective management and long-term viability of fisheries by collecting data at-sea. Isolated far from shore, tuna observers have dangerous jobs where vessel and personal safety are not always guaranteed. Observers are in a particularly vulnerable position when they witness activities the vessel operator doesn’t want reported, sometimes triggering the use of threats, bribes, or intimidation. Tragically, as Hakai Magazine and CNN reported recently, threats by fishing vessel operators to observers are sometimes carried out and some have even been murdered or declared missing under mysterious circumstances.

Many of the measures being suggested in this document were drafted by observers themselves in an Observer Bill of Rights, a document aimed at outlining safety measures all observers should be provided. Unfortunately, few tuna regulatory bodies have implemented those measures. By supporting existing policies that could improve observer safety and security in tuna fisheries, it is hoped that this document will spur action by companies and regulators to prevent human rights and safety violations in the future.

The document is being launched ahead of this year’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Barcelona, where many of the world’s seafood experts from across sectors will convene to discuss sustainability and social responsibility in seafood. The document was funded in part by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Humanity United, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Several organizations lending their support have provided quotes on the importance of this issue as well as the need for continued reforms from tuna companies and regional fisheries management organizations:

“With the backing of ten organizations, including the Association for Professional Observers, this report represents a powerful call to action. Observers have asked for these reforms since 2000, and FishWise believes it is time for the global fishing community to stand up for the safety of the men and women that work tirelessly to support healthy and resilient oceans.”

-Tobias Aguirre, Chief Executive Officer, FishWise

“Fisheries observers collect the scientific information that forms the foundation of our understanding of our fisheries. Without this independent and objective source of information we simply cannot expect to effectively conserve and manage our collective ocean heritage. Given the tragic loss of 10 observers in the past 8 years, we owe it to observers to ensure these measures are implemented across all fisheries on a global scale.”

-Bubba Cook, Western and Central Pacific Tuna Program Manager, WWF

“Observers play an important role in helping us better understand the small-scale one-by-one tuna fisheries that we work with and having suitable, safe working conditions on board fishing vessels should be a priority for the small-scale sector as well as the large. We have therefore gladly supported the development of these guidelines and encourage all stakeholders to adopt best practice in the fisheries they work with, based on these recommendations.”

– Martin Purves, Managing Director, IPNLF

“Worker safety in any occupation is a fundamental human right,” says Monterey Bay Aquarium Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly. “the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pleased to join our colleagues in supporting the awareness and implementation of Observer Safety Best Practices.“

“Since 1995, the APO has strongly supported robust, transparent, scientifically-based programs that provide sound science to support sustainable fisheries management and reduced bycatch in fisheries. Because observers are on the front-lines of this data collection, it is critical that all stakeholders support their professionalism and safety so that they may work free from harassment and interference.”

-Liz Mitchell, Association for Professional Observers

“Observers working aboard tuna fishing vessels do a crucial job in securing sustainable fisheries, and it is vital that we guarantee their safety. Companies and regulators must implement key safety measures to prevent human rights and safety violations.”

-Steve Trent, Environmental Justice Foundation

“Amid rampant illegal fishing, overcapacity of fleets, and labor and human rights abuses, tuna fisheries need strong checks and balances. Observers play a critical role in sustainable fisheries, and, like crew, deserve safe working conditions. Seafood businesses have a responsibility to ensure that the workers in their supply chains are not abused or murdered while doing their jobs.”

– David Pinsky, Senior Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace USA

“Data collection is a vital component to ongoing sustainability work throughout the industry. SFP proudly supports any efforts to protect those entrusted with gathering data at sea, and we encourage our partners and other key influential industry stakeholders to do the same.”

-Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

SFP report indicates key to reduction fishery sustainability lies in Southeast Asia

June 4, 2018 — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership released its Target 75 (T75) Reduction Fisheries Update on 31 May, and it indicates that the key to reaching the organization’s sustainability goals lie in increased engagement in Southeast Asia.

The report outlines the various reduction fisheries and separates the global fishery into two distinct categories: Atlantic/Pacific reduction fisheries and Asian reduction fisheries. The Atlantic/Pacific primarily utilizes small pelagic species like anchoveta, sandeel, and sardine, as well as blue whiting, Antartic krill, and crustacean. The Asian reduction fishery includes trawl fisheries of a large variety of species.

“The rationale for splitting the global sector into two sub-sectors is that almost all Atlantic/Pacific reduction fisheries are for small pelagics, and are quite similar in terms of trophic level, gear, ecology and management, as well as engagement in FIPs,” the report said. “In contrast, the levels of FIP engagement in Asia are much lower, and only 50 percent of Asian sourcing comes from small pelagic fisheries, while the remainder comes from multispecies trawl fisheries (sometimes described as ‘Trash Fish’), which face fisheries management and sustainability challenges that are unique among sources of fishmeal and fish oil.”

According to the report, roughly 41 percent of reduction fisheries can meet the T75 goal, i.e. having either certifications or a FIP that indicates the fishery is moving towards sustainability. Of the sustainable fisheries, 99 percent are located in the Atlantic/Pacific fishery sub-sector.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Report highlights how tuna fisheries can reduce bycatch

April 4, 2018 — Four environmental organizations have joined forces in an effort to reduce the amount of bycatch produced by longline tuna fishing operations.

In working with Greenpeace, Birdlife International, and The Nature Conservancy, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership released in late March detailing the impact longline practices have on other species. They hope to influence processors and retailers who wish to market sustainable tuna and want to improve the environmental performance of the fisheries who supply them.

In some cases, the species most impacted by longline tuna operations are endangered or vulnerable, such as sharks and sea turtles. Other species that can find themselves entangled in the lines include baleen whales and seals.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Unveils New Database to Evaluate Aquaculture Management

March 7, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) announced on Tuesday that they have launched a new approach to assessing sustainable aquaculture management in major production regions.

The nonprofit organization has published 35 profiles of farmed shrimp, salmon and pangasius across 10 countries. The profiles, which are available at www.fishsource.org, were written to “allow corporate buyers to assess specific production regions and better understand risks in their procurement strategies.”

“In SFP’s view, sustainably managed aquaculture requires best practices at the farm level, production zone level and national policy level,” SFP CEO Jim Cannon said in a press release. “The new methodology and profiles on FishSource offer a broad vision for sustainability managed aquaculture. SFP is inviting partners and industry to join us in adopting this ambitious new approach for aquaculture.”

SFP says that they plan to “continue developing and adding profiles to the database.” They hope that the tool will help businesses understand the risks affecting their supply chain.

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

 

Slavery risk warning over UK’s scallop fisheries

Register singles out industry with retailers told to check suppliers are clear of any link to bonded labour

February 2, 2018 — Marine conservation campaigners have warned there is a critical risk that slaves are being used on British scallop fishing boats, and urged retailers to be on their guard.

A new slavery risk register published in the US on Thursday has singled out the UK’s queen and giant scallops fisheries as the most at risk of modern slavery after a Guardian investigation found allegations of bonded labour in the industry.

Nine African and Asian crew were taken off a pair of British scallop trawlers in Portsmouth in December as suspected victims of modern slavery, and two skippers, one from Scotland and the second from Merseyside, were detained by police.

The register, compiled by Monterey Bay Aquarium – one of the most prominent conservation campaigns in the US – the anti-slavery group Liberty Asia and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, also cites other alleged cases of suspected slavery involving migrant labour in Scotland and southern England in 2017, 2014 and 2012.

Read the full story at the Guardian

 

Was Your Seafood Caught With Slave Labor? New Database Helps Retailers Combat Abuse

February 1, 2018 — The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, known best for its red, yellow and green sustainable seafood-rating scheme, is unveiling its first Seafood Slavery Risk Tool on Thursday. It’s a database designed to help corporate seafood buyers assess the risk of forced labor, human trafficking and hazardous child labor in the seafood they purchase.

The tool’s release comes on the heels of a new report that confirms forced labor and human rights abuses remain embedded in Thailand’s fishing industry, years after global media outlets first documented the practice.

The 134-page report by Human Rights Watch shows horrific conditions continue. That’s despite promises from the Thai government to crack down on abuses suffered by mostly migrants from countries like Myanmar and Cambodia — and despite pressure from the U.S. and European countries that purchase much of Thailand’s seafood exports. (Thailand is the fourth-largest seafood exporter in the world).

For U.S. retailers and seafood importers, ferreting slavery out of the supply chain has proved exceedingly difficult. Fishing occurs far from shore, often out of sight, while exploitation and abuse on vessels stem from very complex social and economic dynamics.

“Companies didn’t know how to navigate solving the problem,” says Sara McDonald, Seafood Watch project manager for the Slavery Risk Tool.

The new Seafood Watch database, which took two years to design, assigns slavery risk ratings to specific fisheries and was developed in collaboration with Liberty Asia and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. Like Seafood Watch’s color-coded ratings, the Seafood Slavery Risk Tool aims to keep it simple — a set criteria determines whether a fishery will earn a critical, high, moderate or low risk rating.

A “critical risk” rating, for example, means credible evidence of forced labor or child labor has been found within the fishery itself. Albacore, skipjack and yellowfin tuna caught by the Taiwanese fleet gets a critical risk rating. A “low risk” fishery, like Patagonian toothfish in Chile (also known as Chilean seabass), is one with good regulatory protections and enforcement, with no evidence of abuses in related industries.

Read the full story at National Public Radio

 

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

SFP initiative aims for 75 percent sustainable seafood globally

June 6, 2017 — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership announced on Monday, 5 June at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., the launch of an initiative aimed achieving the goal of seeing 75 percent of the world’s seafood sourced sustainably or improving toward sustainability by 2020.

At its launch announcement at the summit, SFP, a nonprofit dedicated reducing the environmental and social impacts of fishing and fish farming , called on the seafood industry at large to consider industry-based improvement projects and similar pre-competitive collaborations to help achieve the goal.

“Although the objectives of Target 75 may seem ambitious, our initiative is only calling for our partners and their suppliers to continue with activities that are already underway, and for some others to get on board,” SFP said in its launch statement. “If companies are prepared to assess their supply chains, identify the fisheries and aquaculture regions that need improving, and mobilize their suppliers to launch fishery and aquaculture improvement projects (FIPs and AIPs), it will be possible to meet the target.

Bill DiMento, High Liner Foods’ Vice President of Quality Assurance, Sustainability initiatives, and Government Affairs said his company “loves the goal and will support the effort.”

“Setting goals like this is certainly ambitious but it’s needed to set the pace for the rest of the world,” he said.

SFP said it would use either Marine Stewardship Council certification or a “Green” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program to define a fishery as “sustainable.” To be defined as “improving,” a fishery must have a grade of “C” or higher as ranked by SFP’s FIP evaluation tool.

“Our two programs are complementary,” Brian Perkins, the North American regional director of the Marine Stewardship Council, said at the SeaWeb press conference. “We have same goal in mind, which is 100 percent sustainable fisheries worldwide. And at MSC, our goal is 20 percent of world fisheries engaged in our by 2020. If we both charge at the goals, we might actually get there.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source 

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Trains 15,000 Shrimp and Tilapia Farmers Asia, South Pacific

March 7, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership wrapped up a major aquaculture training program in Indonesia, Thailand, and China that instructed thousands of shrimp and tilapia farmers with modern training designed to improve the industry in these regions.

Organizers initially expected the project to attract 12,500 farmers. But by the December 31, 2016 finishing date, more than 15,000 farmers in all three countries had participated in the training.

“This project has exceeded expectations because of the hard work of many committed partners to deliver improvements based on a detailed, local understanding of what farmers want,” said Anton Immink, SFP’s Aquaculture Director. “We recognize there is still a long way to go for many of these farmers, but we encourage others to actively engage in the improvements needed.”

The program, funded with the support of Walmart Foundation and IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative – has led to improvements in environmental and disease management across shrimp and tilapia farms in all three countries.

Ir. Rizal, head of the aquaculture unit of the Provincial Office of Marine and Fishery Affairs in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, said, “This training helped us improve the knowledge of traditional farmers in West Kalimantan to practice better farming. With better farming we hope that farmers can improve their shrimp and fish harvest.”

Training topics included: Better aquaculture practices; better post-harvest practices; better business management; group formation and management; value of zonal management; Code of Good Practice in Aquaculture; ecological farming, health management, and market outlook.

Sally Ananya, Director of The Food School, one of the partners in Thailand, said “The focus on smaller-scale producers and the specific inclusion of women in the training has been particularly valuable, as the contribution of these groups is often overlooked in projects aiming at improvements in shrimp farming.”

For some farmers, including Chareon Yongstar of Thailand, the training served as an eye-opener.

“I have learned so many practical best practices that I can apply at my farms,” he said. “But more importantly, the experience has raised more questions and made me realize how much more I don’t know. I hope there is a continuation of this program.”

SFP will continue to work closely with the international buyers to understand how these producers fit into existing supplies or how some of them can continue the improvements they have started to become part of the international supply chain.

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

Pew Vs. Pew: A Tale of Two Stories

June 3, 2016 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

WASHINGTON (MFC) — On May 16, the Pew Charitable Trusts published an article (“Mid-Atlantic Council Poised to Take Historic Action for Forage Fish”), on their website, authored by Peter Baker, Director of US Oceans, Northeast, falsely claiming that “Many forage fish, such as … menhaden, are fished in large numbers for use in fish oil, bait, and livestock feed, with no limits on how many can be caught[.]”

The truth? Atlantic menhaden are actually closely monitored and responsibly regulated.  It’s curious for Pew and Mr. Baker to claim there are “no limits” on the catch, since in a May 15, 2014 Pew story, “Atlantic Menhaden Catch Cap a Success,” Mr. Baker himself wrote that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) “voted into place a cap that reduced the overall catch of Atlantic menhaden by 25 percent from the previous year.”

It is not clear whether Pew has changed its mind, or if they are experiencing institutional amnesia.  In their most recent release, they claim “at this scale, industrial fishing could dramatically reduce the numbers of forage fish, potentially destabilizing the entire ocean ecosystem.” Yet, two years ago, they stated that the “commissioners should be proud that that they’ve established an effective management system for the largest fishery on the Atlantic coast.” This is yet the latest example of misinformation from Pew regarding menhaden management.

Pew’s sudden forgetfulness notwithstanding, the fact is that rather than being unmanaged and unrestricted, the menhaden fishery operates under the responsible oversight of the ASMFC, which manages fisheries in state waters from Maine to Florida. The ASMFC sets coastwide harvest quotas for menhaden based on the best available science.

With the release of the most recent assessment of the Atlantic menhaden stock in 2015, the ASMFC found menhaden to be neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. In another indicator of stock health, the assessment also found fishing mortality to be at an all-time low. Combined with the fact that fecundity – a measure of the stock’s reproductive ability – is at an all-time high, the science clearly supports the fact that menhaden are not only well-protected, but are well-positioned for the future.  In fact, as testament to the successful efforts undertaken by menhaden fishermen to ensure stock health, in 2015 the ASMFC even raised the harvest quota by 10 percent.

These conclusions have also been supported by several independent organizations. In a report last year, the non-profit Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) rated menhaden as one of the best-managed forage fish species in the world. In their report, menhaden was cited as one of only four fish species to have improved its status from previous years. Corroborating SFP is a certificationfrom the third-party sustainability certifier Friend of the Sea, which independently rated Atlantic menhaden as sustainable.

The evidence is clear – menhaden is a healthy, well-managed stock, not the unmanaged fishery Mr. Baker claims.