Saving Seafood

ISSF Skipper Workshops Reached Record-High Number of Tuna Fishers in 2017

March 15, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Skippers’ Workshop programmarked its most successful year on record in 2017, reaching 794 participants, with tuna purse-seine skippers (457) and crew (238) comprising the majority (88 percent) of attendees. Other workshop participants included vessel owners and officials.

Since 2009, ISSF has been conducting workshops worldwide that unite fishers from tropical tuna fleets with scientists and other stakeholders to discuss methods for reducing shark and other bycatch, especially during Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) fishing. ISSF partners with Azti-Tecnalia, a Spanish technological research center for marine and food innovation, to conduct its skippers workshops.

Last year, ISSF added new workshop locations, including Zhoushan, China and Ambon, Makassar, and Manado, Indonesia. Eighteen skippers workshops were conducted across 10 different countries, covering fleets in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Since their inception, ISSF workshops have attracted more than 3,000 participants — including more than 1,700 skippers, enough to put nearly two ISSF-trained fishers on each large purse seine vessel operating today.

Notable activities in and findings from 2017 workshops include:

  • Rising acceptance of biodegradable FADs to reduce marine debris, with initiatives like the one in the Indian Ocean, Project BIOFAD, with participation from Spanish and French fleets
  • Continued success in advancing the use of lower-entanglement-risk FADs and non-entangling FADs by fleets in three out of the four major tuna fishing regions
  • Wide acceptance of best bycatch release methods, with some fleets applying them daily
  • Fisher support for technology to remotely identify the presence of small bigeye and yellowfin tuna at FADs
  • Discussion of options to reduce FAD impacts, including limiting FAD numbers, FAD closures, or prohibiting supply vessels

Now in its second year, ISSF’s “Train-the-Trainer” program in Indonesia reached small-vessel tuna purse-seine captains in seven workshops. These local trainers will enable the program to reach more skippers in remote locations across the archipelago.

“Our skippers workshops continue to be the best method for ensuring that our research findings on FAD management and bycatch reduction result in positive shifts on the water,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Not only are we able to share best practices as we gain more scientific knowledge, but we are also able to gain valuable insight directly from the fishers who spend their working hours fishing for tuna. It’s education that goes both ways.”

All 2017 successes are outlined in the recently published ISSF Technical Report ISSF Skippers’ Workshops Round 7. The report includes details on each 2017 workshop, photos, and graphs showing fisher participation and acceptance of best practices. It also features a “Novel ideas and improvements for mitigation activities” section.

Skippers’ workshop attendance fulfills the requirement for ISSF conservation measure 3.4.

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. To learn more, visit iss-foundation.org, and follow ISSF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@issf.official).

 

Marine Stewardship Council Celebrates 20 Years of Keeping Oceans Wild

March 6, 2018 — SEATTLE — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the world’s most recognized, science-based seafood certification program, marks 20 years of working to keep the world’s oceans wild with a new campaign. “Keep It Wild” celebrates the people who love wild seafood and who have been instrumental in partnering with the MSC to protect the world’s oceans over the past two decades. The MSC has launched a new website – 20.msc.org – to better highlight its work and mission and to encourage consumers to continue choosing seafood with the organization’s blue fish label that denotes wild, certified and sustainable seafood.

“Since the MSC’s establishment in late 1997, we have engaged numerous stakeholders – from fisheries and processors to restaurants, retailers and consumers – in our vision to see the world’s oceans teeming with life to ensure a healthy seafood supply for today, tomorrow and always,” said Brian Perkins, regional director for the Americas at the Marine Stewardship Council. “As we embark on the next 20 years, and beyond, we want to celebrate those who have turned that vision into a reality. While much work remains, we are proud of our collective accomplishments thus far and look forward to continuing our momentum.”

A mission translates into milestones

Conceived in response to global fisheries challenges such as overfishing and habitat destruction, the MSC was established as a nonprofit by Unilever and WWF to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans. The MSC uses its blue fish label and strict fishery certification standards to support its mission in three ways: recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood, and working with partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.

Since its inception, the MSC has created highly specialized certification standards and traceability systems, which are continually refined and updated with the latest fisheries science. Organizations that seek certification do so voluntarily, and independent third-party entities determine whether those organizations meet the MSC’s stringent requirements before awarding certification. To meet the MSC’s standards, applicants must demonstrate alignment with three core principles: guaranteeing sustainability of fish populations, committing to minimal ecosystem impacts, and implementing effective management practices that respond to environmental changes.

The MSC’s rigorous approach has attracted stakeholders from around the world – including fisheries, processors, restaurants, retailers and consumers – in its efforts to achieve significant milestones in sustainability:

  • 12 percent of all global catch is now certified to MSC standards
  • 300 fisheries are certified globally, and 22 of those are in the U.S.
  • More than 33,000 companies around the world, representing every level of the supply chain, are MSC certified
  • More than 23,000 products carry the MSC’s blue fish label in about 100 markets
  • The U.S. market has more than 1,000 products with the blue fish label

Keeping the world’s oceans teeming with life is a collaborative effort, and the MSC has reached out not only to fisheries, but to businesses with global impacts. For instance, in 2006, Walmart committed to sourcing all fresh and frozen seafood from organizations certified to the MSC standard. In 2011, McDonald’s restaurants in Europe adopted blue fish labeled products, and the following years saw a similar movement by its U.S. and Canadian operations. In 2015, IKEA pledged to serve only sustainable seafood throughout its markets.

The MSC has also earned the respect of sustainability-focused organizations around the world. It was the first global seafood certification to achieve recognition from the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative for its credibility and rigor. Additionally, the MSC was recognized for best practices by ISEAL Alliance and UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

MSC maintains focus to ‘Keep It Wild’


As the MSC looks to the future, it is working to fold more individuals and organizations into its mission. With a new Keep It Wild campaign, the nonprofit is celebrating the people – known as “the Wild Ones” – who have turned their love of wild seafood into a solution for the world’s at-risk oceans. The campaign will highlight the fishers, processors, fish mongers, grocers, restaurateurs, chefs, consumers and even pets who enjoy seafood carrying the blue fish label, which is affixed to products ranging from fresh, frozen, canned and preserved items to supplements and pet food.

The Keep It Wild campaign will be featured online at 20.msc.org, in retailers, on the Food Network’s “Food Quest” show, and at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C. In addition to celebrating the people behind the organization’s success, Keep It Wild will provide consumers with guidance on how to find and select sustainable and traceable seafood products so they can do their part in keeping the oceans wild for generations to come.

Read the release here.

 

Blockchain Could Help Restaurants Make Sure the Seafood You Order Is Actually What You Get

March 6, 2018 — Fraud runs rampant in the seafood industry, but blockchain (the technology supporting the growing cryptocurrency market) could help ensure the fish you order in a restaurant is the fish that finds its way onto your plate.

In 2016, Oceana, an ocean conservation advocacy group, compiled a report drawing from 200 published studies on seafood fraud. Based on their findings, a whopping 20 percent of seafood is not labeled correctly. The problem extends to all corners of the globe and at all levels of the supply chain, from the people catching the fish to those distributing and selling it.

The seafood mislabeling infractions detailed in the report ranged from the relatively minor (a restaurant advertising wild salmon but serving a cheaper farmed salmon) to the downright disturbing: sushi chefs purposely mislabeling endangered whale meat as fatty tuna in order to smuggle it into the U.S.

The consequences of mislabeling pop up in global health, the economy, and conservation efforts. According to the Oceana report, the best way to combat them is by increasing traceability. The report asserts that a more detailed and transparent record of information about the fish as it moves along the supply chain could help decrease instances of mislabeling.

Blockchain could provide this record.

Tracking Seafood
Though most commonly associated with money, blockchain’s utility isn’t limited to the world of finance. At its core, the technology is simply a secure, transparent way to record transactions. A number of companies are looking for ways to apply it to the seafood supply chain.

In April 2017, Intel released a demonstration case study showing how Hyperledger Sawtooth, a platform for creating and managing blockchains, could facilitate seafood supply chain traceability. That study used sensors to track and record information about a fish’s location, temperature, and other characteristics as it moved from boat to restaurant.

In January 2018, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) announced their appropriately named Blockchain Supply Chain Traceability Project. Through that project, the WWF and their partners are cracking down on illegal tuna fishing by recording every step along the supply chain on a blockchain.

“Through blockchain technology, soon a simple scan of tuna packaging using a smartphone app will tell the story of a tuna fish — where and when the fish was caught, by which vessel and fishing method,” said WWF-New Zealand CEO Livia Esterhazy in a press release. “Consumers will have certainty that they’re buying legally-caught, sustainable tuna with no slave labor or oppressive conditions involved.”

Of course, getting everyone along the supply chain to agree to a new recording system might not be easy, and that’s why a blockchain-based seafood solution like Fishcoin could be useful. The idea behind that project is to reward people all along the supply chain for providing valuable data directly to those at the end of it.

For example, fishers in developing nations might send a restaurant or grocery store information on the seafood they caught. This triggers a smart contract that transfers a certain number of Fishcoins into those fisher’s crypto wallets. The fishers can then exchange those Fishcoins for something of value to them, such as prepaid cell phone minutes.

Most of these projects are still in the development stages, but should they take off, it could have far-reaching implications for global health, the economy, and, of course, your dinner plate.

Read the full story at Futurism

 

ISSF Releases New Five-Year Strategic Plan

February 26, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its Strategic Plan for 2018-2022, Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries: A Five-Year Plan, which lays out the research and advocacy organization’s mission and approach to meeting sustainability objectives over the next five years.

The new strategic plan is activated through three core pillars of science, influence, and verification — encompassing tuna stock health and fisheries bycatch, outreach to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and vessels, partnerships with tuna companies, fishery improvement support, and more. ISSF’s ultimate objective remains to improve the sustainability of global tuna fisheries so they are capable of meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification standard without conditions.

“Since ISSF began its work in 2009, tuna fisheries have changed, the industry has changed, and sustainability challenges have strengthened stakeholder cooperation,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “As progress is made and priorities evolve, it is essential to recalibrate our strategies to continue to drive the industry towards a more sustainable future. That’s what Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries allows us to do.”

Objective Strategies, Evolved Approaches

While ISSF tools and resources — because they help reach the organization’s objective regarding MSC certification — are complementary to fisheries improvement work, a formalized focus on Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) is new to Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries.

“ISSF has a reputation for taking the scientific route — identifying and advocating for approaches based on the best data available,” said Bill Fox, ISSF Board member of Vice President, Fisheries, WWF-U.S. “We look forward to the Foundation bringing this rigorous focus to bear on the fisheries improvement work progressing across global tuna fisheries.”

In the plan, the Foundation also pledges to monitor emerging labor and social standards for tuna fishing activities, and to consider how ISSF and its nearly 30 participating tuna companies can support standards for best labor practices.

Progress to Date, Goals to Prioritize

ISSF has launched a related, infographic-rich microsite that explores five focus areas of the strategic plan: bycatch mitigation, FADs and FAD management, illegal fishing, industry commitment, and harvest strategies. For all focus areas, which have evolved from the organization’s previous five-year plan, ISSF cites outcomes to date as a result of its model of scientific research, knowledge sharing, and advocacy.

Additional Strategic Plan goals laid out in the microsite include:

The microsite also highlights benchmarking tools and summarizes ISSF resources for FIPs and MSC certification efforts.

The 2018-2022 strategic plan was developed with input from ISSF partners representing more than a dozen external stakeholder groups and organizations — including those from the scientific, charitable foundation, and NGO communities. The plan was developed over a ten-month period and approved by  ISSF’s Board of Directors. The plan PDF can be downloaded from the microsite.

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. To learn more, visit https://iss-foundation.org/, and follow ISSF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

“Whitefish wars” driving Vietnam’s pangasius away from EU, US

February 7, 2018 — The rapid growth of Vietnam’s pangasius shipments has met with several markets barriers in the European Union and United States, where the fish is being gradually pushed away.

With similarity in texture and taste to other whitefish such as cod, sole, haddock, and pollock, but with much lower prices, pangasius from the Southeast Asia nation has quickly become a competitive alternative in the U.S. and E.U., Nguyen Tien Thong, an assistant professor of applied economics and marketing research at the University of Southern Denmark, told SeafoodSource.

But Thong, also a research associate with analytics firm Syntesa, with a specialty in price formation and consumer preference for seafood, said pangasius’ growth in the U.S. and E.U. markets has been actively thwarted by market barriers erected by both the industry’s competitors and erroneous reporting by mass media.

Vietnam’s pangasius exports were worth USD 1.78 billion (EUR 1.43 billion) last year, up 4.3 percent from 2016. But the export value to the U.S. and E.U. fell 11 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively, recently released data from Vietnam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP) revealed.

Three “wars” against pangasius

European and Vietnamese seafood experts have collectively created a new term for the campaigns surrounding pangasius, calling them the ”whitefish wars.”

The most recent round of this war broke out in early 2017, when a television segment on Spain’s Cuatro channel claimed pangasius farming was polluting the Mekong Delta. Two weeks later, French retail giant Carrefour decided to suspend sales of Vietnamese pangasius in all its stores in Belgium, France, and Spain. Carrefour attributed its decision to “the doubts that persist about the adverse impacts that pangasius farms have on the environment.”

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council responded to Carrefour’s move with a statement insisting the facts did not support Carrefour’s pangasius decision, and VASEP said repeatedly that the Cuatro report provided distorted information. Seeking to help combat the growing ”PR crisis,” 20 of Vietnam’s leading pangasius exporters joined together to create a market development fund in June 2017. But the rebuttals appeared largely ineffective at halting the negative impact on pangasius sales.

However, Thong argues that the “whitefish war” began as early as 2000, and started in the United States. In that year, about 90 percent of the catfish imported by the U.S. was from Vietnam. Feeling threatened, U.S. catfish growers and wholesalers started a campaign to curtail imports of Vietnamese pangasius into the country.

For years, pangasius faced high anti-dumping duties imposed by the U.S government, and a push for increased inspections. After a protracted political debate, in August 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) began inspecting all imported pangasius. Only a few months after the decision, only two of 14 Vietnamese pangasius exporters are still shipping pangasius to the U.S., according to VASEP.

In the E.U., backlash against pangasius started in late 2010, when the World Wildlife Fund placed the fish on the “red list,” effectively branding it a no-buy for environmentally conscientious consumers, Thong said. The attempt, which Thong termed as the second “war,” was made after the fish became a significant substitute fish to other whitefish raised in many European countries.

A few years later, WWF reversed course on pangasius, giving its backing to all Vietnamese-produced pangasius awarded Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification.

Further controversy was ignited in 2011 when Member of the European Parliament Struan Stevenson, senior vice president of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, attacked the pangasius’ environmental, social, and safety credentials during an address to the European Parliament.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

ISSF Position Statement Calls for Better Management of Stocks and Non-entangling FAD Requirements in Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO)

December 4, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation: 

Reducing catches of yellowfin and bigeye tuna and adoption of a non-entangling FAD measure are among the changes advocated for Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) fisheries by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) in a position statement submitted for the 14th Regular Session Meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Manila, Philippines, on December 3-7.

The WCPFC, which oversees tuna stocks in the WCPO, is one of five tuna Regional Fishing Management Organizations (RFMOs). “As the region responsible for more than 60 percent of the global tuna catch, the Western and Central Pacific holds significant responsibility for the sustainable management of global tuna resources,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “But the region is not only a leader in tuna catches. It has also shown leadership in sustainability efforts to ensure that the fishery is properly managed and protected.

“While ISSF recognizes this leadership, there is still much work to do in the region, especially with regards to addressing the stock status of yellowfin and bigeye tuna and catching up to their tuna RFMO counterparts by adopting a measure for the use of non-entangling FAD designs.”

Tuna Conservation
While the results of 2017 WCPO bigeye stock assessment were more positive than in recent years, ISSF believes active management needs to continue because there is still a good chance that the stock is below the adopted Limit Reference Point (LRP). Further, the WCPFC Scientific Committee advised that— due to the inclusion of new information on bigeye growth and regional structures—the amount of uncertainty in the stock status results for the 2017 assessment is higher than for the previous assessment.

The 2017 yellowfin assessment indicates that the stock is not overfished or being overfished, but ISSF strongly believes that given uncertainties, the WCPFC should be precautionary and not allow the yellowfin catch rate to increase. 

FAD Management and Non-Entangling FAD Designs

Greater data collection is needed on the number of FADs being used and the details of fishing operations on individual FADs in order to better understand fishing capacity changes and likely impacts on WCPFC-managed stocks. That data should then be used to develop science-based FAD management measures.  

Jackson continued, “In the WCPO, FAD sets account for about 30 percent of tropical tuna catches. There is a need globally for measures that help better monitor and manage FAD usage in every ocean region. Shark mortality and other FAD-fishing ecosystem impacts in the WCPO also have to be addressed, for which the wide-scale adoption of non-entangling FAD designs is a critical step.”

Longline Observer Coverage

Comprehensive observer coverage is a critical component of monitoring and management for sustainable tropical tuna fisheries. For large-scale purse seiners, WCPFC implemented a 100 percent observer coverage requirement; the requirement for longline fisheries is only a minimum of 5 percent. The science committees for two other tuna RFMOs have recommended 20 percent longline observer coverage, a level appropriate to provide reasonable estimates of total bycatch. If human onboard observers are not possible for certain fleets or vessel sizes, including longliners, then guidelines for using electronic monitoring should be adopted. ISSF is pleased that in 2016, the WCPFC adopted operational logsheet data standards for electronic reporting and made progress in developing electronic reporting observer data standards.

ISSF is asking WCPFC to increase its observer coverage standards to 20 percent and to finalize the development of the electronic monitoring and reporting standards so that such tools can be used to achieve 100% observer coverage in the longline fishery.

Other priority improvements in the ISSF position statement include:

  • Adhere to the updated 2015 harvest strategy work plan and take the decisions necessary this year (e.g., a target reference point for yellowfin tuna and South Pacific albacore, and development of harvest control rules for skipjack, bigeye, South Pacific albacore and yellowfin tuna).
  • Reform the compliance assessment process to allow accredited observer participation.
  • Amend the transshipment measure in order to address gaps in its effectiveness due to lack of required reporting or advanced notifications.
  • Strengthen shark conservation and management by prohibiting the use of shark lines; adopt scientists’ recommended Shark Research Plan and future work plan and the safe release guidelines for rays; adopt a measure to require that sharks be landed with fins still naturally attached to improve compliance and species specific data collection; and direct the Scientific Committee to develop guidelines for the safe release of silky and oceanic whitetip sharks.

Read the full position statement here.

​About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. To learn more, visit https://iss-foundation.org/, and follow ISSF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

How Ocean Aquaculture Could Feed the Entire World – and Save Wild Fish

Marine researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, mapped out the potential of the open ocean to support farmed fish and came to some surprising conclusions.

August 21, 2017 — About five out of every six fisheries worldwide has reached or passed the limit of what it can sustainably produce, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Drought, dams, agricultural runoff and other pressures have depleted wild salmon populations in the Eastern Pacific, while on the east coast of North America, wild Atlantic salmon exists mainly in the memories of the Greatest Generation. Bluefin tuna, the preferred delicacy of the world’s finest sushi chefs, is at 2.7 percent of its historical population – about the same as the Bengal tiger.

Meanwhile, seafood farmed in coastal regions has been infected with sea lice, pollutes neighboring ecosystems with waste, sometimes produces fewer nutrients than are fed into the system, often destroys carbon-sequestering mangroves and can require large amounts of antibiotics to stave off disease.

But according to a new study from the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, aquaculture could feed a global population expected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050. Lead author Rebecca Gentry, a newly minted PhD in marine ecology, and her colleagues wrote that the open ocean “is largely untapped as a farming resource,” representing “an immense opportunity for food production.” In the study published August 14 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, they found that the entire world’s current output of wild-caught seafood could be farmed in areas that in total would comprise just 0.015 percent of the ocean’s surface area, if grouped together in a way that the authors note would not be realistic or recommended. That’s the equivalent to the size of Lake Michigan.

“People assume the oceans are big but no one had quantified it,” Gentry said. “There’s not that much broad-scale ecological research on marine aquaculture, so we needed a base of information to get an idea of where we can do it.”

Read the full story at Aquaculture Magazine

Final determination on assessment of the Northeastern Tropical Pacific tuna fishery

August 7, 2017 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Following the decision of an independent adjudicator, the third party assessment of the Northeastern Tropical Pacific purse seine yellowfin & skipjack tuna fishery has been upheld, confirming the certifier’s determination that the fishery meets the MSC Fisheries Standard.

The fishery, operated by the Pacific Alliance of Sustainable Tuna (PAST), includes 36 purse seine vessels fishing for yellowfin and skipjack with both free-school and dolphin associated sets.

The certifier will now need to review the independent adjudicator’s decision and update its final report to include the revised scoring requested by the IA. This content must be approved by the IA before the certifier can move forward to issue the public certification report for the fishery, at which point the fishery would be certified.

The MSC Standard is widely recognized as the world’s most credible and robust standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries. Only fisheries that demonstrably meet the MSC’s rigorous, scientific requirements for sustainability achieve MSC certification.

Since entering the assessment process in 2014, the fishery has undergone detailed review and assessment by an independent team of experts headed up by MSC-accredited certifier, SCS Global Services. As part of this process the MSC requires certifiers to seek and consider formal input from all interested stakeholders. In this case, it conducted numerous rounds of stakeholder input, and reviewed and responded to nearly 300 pages of stakeholder comments. This is an essential part of a thorough and credible assessment of a fishery’s practices. The findings were also peer reviewed by two independent experts, subject to MSC technical oversight, and reviewed by the scheme’s accreditation body, Accreditation Services International.

Consideration of objections

Following the assessment team’s final determination that the fishery should be certified, the MSC received an objection to certification from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These concerns were reviewed and considered in detail in an orderly and transparent process by an independent adjudicator.

The independent adjudicator, Melanie Carter is a legal expert with extensive fisheries, law, and mediation experience, as well as an understanding of the MSC Fisheries Standard and assessment methodology.  She published her decision today to uphold the determination of SCS Global Services. Her decision, including the supporting reasoning, is available on msc.org.

Recognising improvements

Since the 1980s, concern for the impacts of purse seine fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (EPO) drove international governments and NGOs to sign a series of transformative conservation agreements focused on ensuring the sustainability purse seine fishing in the EPO. One of the most significant of these is the 1999 Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP), focused on ensuring the sustainability of fishing in the EPO and the protection of dolphin populations through science-based regulation, concerted improvement of fishing practice, and independent monitoring by onboard scientific observers. The AIDCP was awarded the Margarita Lizárraga Medal by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 2005 for its “unqualified success” in protecting dolphin and ensuring the sustainability of fishing in the EPO. Under this agreement, which requires 100% coverage by onboard scientific observers to monitor compliance, fishers work proactively to ensure the live release of all non-tuna species including dolphin. Data show that between 1985 and 1997 dolphin mortalities as a result of purse seine fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific fell by 99%. Since then, dolphin populations have been increasing, according to the international regulator in the ocean the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

Brian Perkins, MSC regional director – Americas, said: “A MSC assessment is a highly transparent and meticulous process and I applaud any fishery that puts themselves under the microscope and scrutiny of this assessment. Decisions are made based on science and evidence, and in a highly consultative manner. In reaching its conclusion that this fishery should be certified, the assessment team took full consideration of the impacts this fishery has on the entire ecosystem, including dolphin populations.”

Ongoing conditions of certification

As part of its commitment to achieve MSC certification, PAST has committed to a comprehensive sustainability action plan, which includes: further dolphin protection measures including investments in net alignment and training in best practices across the fleet; significant financial investment in an international research program to assess dolphin populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean; zero retention and maximum live release program for all sharks and rays; and active stakeholder engagement in building more transparency in fisheries in Mexico.

The IA’s final decision is available on msc.org

Mexico extends gillnet ban to help save endangered porpoise

June 1, 2017 — Mexico’s agriculture and fisheries department says it is extending a ban on gillnets in much of the upper Gulf of California as part of an effort to save the endangered vaquita porpoise.

A Wednesday statement from the department says it will continue to provide monetary and other support for fishermen affected by the measure.

Despite Mexico’s campaign to help the porpoise species, estimates of remaining vaquitas have dropped below 30.

Vaquitas are often caught in nets illegally set to catch totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is prized in China.

The World Wildlife Fund says the measure won’t be enough to save the vaquita. It says a permanent ban and recovery efforts are needed.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Southern Illinoisan

Mediterranean countries looking elsewhere for seafood

May 26, 2017 — European Mediterranean countries now import almost twice as much seafood as they produce, according to a report just released by WWF.

Decades of rising demand, coupled with falling fish stocks due to increasing use of industrial techniques, poor catch monitoring, the spread of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and numerous environmental factors have all contributed to less seafood productivity from the once-abundant Mediterranean Sea.

For local inhabitants and tourists who flock to the region, fresh local fish is as much a part of the Mediterranean experience as its golden beaches and sunny climate. Artisanal fishing communities, fish markets, seafood restaurants and maritime heritage are all central to the area’s unique economic, social and cultural identity.

The report, “WWF Seafood and the Mediterranean 2017,” finds that the idealized image no longer matches the reality of the situation in the Mediterranean, where more than 93 percent of assessed fish stocks are threatened by overfishing.

The largest catches in the region are made up of sardines and anchovies (42 percent), demersal species (21 percent), cephalopods (8 percent), crustaceans (7 percent), molluscs and bivalves (6 percent), and tuna and swordfish (5 percent).

European Mediterranean nations such as Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia now harvest three times as much of their catch from Atlantic waters as they do from the Mediterranean. For every kilo of seafood caught by these nations, another two kilos are imported, the majority from developing countries including Morocco, Turkey, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Libya. Product is also exported to these countries, particularly low-value processed and canned products, fishmeal and baitfish.

Read the full story at Seafood Source