Conservation & Environment

They streak through the Florida Straits at up to 50 mph, Harley-Davidson-size fish on their way from spawning in the Gulf of Mexico to the rich feeding grounds off the northeastern United States and Canada.

Atlantic bluefin tuna once drew Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey  and thousands of other anglers to Florida and the Bahamas for white-knuckled fights with one of the strongest fish in the ocean.

But few people see tuna off South Florida today. The fish have undergone a sharp decline to feed a ravenous demand for sushi and sashimi in Japan, where a single high-quality tuna can fetch more than $150,000 at auction. The BP oil spill took place where the tunas congregate to spawn, with unknown impact on their reproduction. Now the National Marine Fisheries Service has announced it will consider whether to put the tuna on the endangered species list, a melancholy fate for a once-abundant predator respected for its strength and fighting ability.

Read the complete story from Sun Sentinel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out representatives of the environmental group that many anglers view as the enemy really like to fish

This ride of out Shark River Inlet does not look promising.

Under a gray sky, Captain Bill Hoblitzell of Outback Fishing Charters surfs his 26-foot SeeVee boat on big swells that Hurricane Igor is pounding out from hundreds of miles away, still south of Bermuda.

Hoblitzell and his friend Dave Bard scan the ocean for gulls circling over false albacore and bluefish, but both fish and birds have bailed in the face of this weather.

Read the complete story from the Asbury Park Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many Gloucester, Mass., residents depend on commercial fishing, so it's not surprise they have little patience with the almost uniformly negative media coverage in recent years suggesting the entire marine ecosystem is about to collapse due to the industry.

Nancy Gaines, a Gloucester Times reporter who recently analyzed that coverage, made some shocking discoveries about a cozy little Iron Triangle among well-known reporters, Big Green environmental scientists whose findings they regularly report, and funding by foundations that share the movement's ideological agenda.

"The journalists are wined and dined by the advocates and hired to train the scientists to use the media to advance their message," Gaines reported. "The journalists, in turn, call on those same scientists as sources when writing about the advocates and their agenda.

Read the complete story from the Washington Examiner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced it will start an official review for Atlantic bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decision to consider an ESA listing for bluefin is in response to a request by the Center for Biological Diversity, the same group now spearheading a national lead ban for fishermen.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico where many of the bluefin tuna caught in the western Atlantic Ocean spawn, bluefin tuna may be endangered in the future, which they say warrants an official ESA listing. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which together with NMFS helps administer such rulings, ESA is defined as protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitats by prohibiting the "take" of listed animals, along with interstate or international trade.

Additionally, ESA defines 'take' as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct." Such a definitive listing would summarily eliminate the recreational catch and release fishery for Atlantic bluefin tuna, and could also impact other coastal fisheries where bluefin might be harassed, captured or harmed as a bycatch fishery.

Read the complete story from the World Fishing Network.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to generous support from the Walker Foundation, EDF is able to provide peer-to-peer education and business support to New England fishermen who are in the process of transitioning to sustainable fisheries management.

This new approach is called "sectors," a form of catch share management that puts a direct cap on how much fish can be caught every year in the entire fishery, and parcels percentages of that annual harvest to fishing cooperatives to decide how best to collectively fish their portion. Under sectors, groups of fishermen commit to higher levels of accountability in exchange for more flexibility in when and how they collectively catch their allotment of fish. As fisheries return to their former abundance, fishermen and fishing communities directly benefit.

Read the complete story from the Walker Foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week's decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service to review a petition to list the Atlantic bluefin tuna as either threatened or endangered drew a harsh response from U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, and U.S. Reps. Barney Frank, John Tierney and William Delahunt.

"This decision comes at the worst possible time for our fishermen," Kerry wrote in a press release protesting the decision.

He said the federal government should be working on a meaningful international agreement to stem rampant overfishing by European countries instead of focusing on the domestic fishery, which has been tightly regulated for decades.

The congressional delegation argued that the state's fishermen are already under regulatory pressure to bring back stocks of cod, haddock and flounder and can't afford to lose such a valuable species. Bluefin tuna are highly prized by the Japanese sashimi and sushi market and can net fishermen thousands of dollars per fish.

Read the complete story from The Cape Cod Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ocean conservation should not be a matter of partisan division. Unfortunately, to a greater rather than lesser degree, it is. The Democrats line up on the side of government-sponsored global protectionism, the Republicans favoring Laissez-Faire capitalism and non-interference from government regulation of private business. Despite the philosophical chasm, there has been a meeting of divergent minds, specifically in American politics, on issues vital to oceanic welfare.

Friday night in Laguna Beach, citizens whose political fortunes land on both sides of the aisle came together to raise $1 million for an organization called Oceana. It was the third annual SeaChange, held at the estate of Karen and Bruce Cahill that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

"We are proud to share that our efforts have helped put a stop to the inhumane slaughter of sharks," Oceana Board of Directors Chairman Keith Addis said, explaining to the audience that uncontrolled over fishing of sharks, specifically for the harvest of fins to satisfy a worldwide demand for shark fin soup, had created a significant natural imbalance in the ocean's food chain. "Fisherman catch the sharks, cut off their fins, then throw them back into the ocean where they sink to the bottom and drown."

Read the complete story from the Daily Pilot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interagency report notes that incidents of hypoxia — a condition in which oxygen levels drop so low that fish and other animals are stressed or killed — have increased nearly 30-fold since 1960. Incidents of hypoxia were documented in nearly 50 percent of the 647 waterways assessed for the new report, including the Gulf of Mexico, home to one of the largest such zones in the world.

The impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico was not considered in this report because the spill had not yet occurred at the time the report was completed. Only additional research will reveal how the presence of oil in the Gulf is affecting the large dead zone that forms every summer to the west of the Mississippi delta, the more than 100 other independent sites along the Gulf of Mexico coast that experience low-oxygen problems, and areas of naturally-occurring deepwater oxygen depletion.

Federal research programs are addressing many aspects of the problem of hypoxia, and coordination among the relevant governmental entities is increasing, the report finds; as a result, some areas are now in better condition than they were a few decades ago. But overall, management efforts to stem the tide of hypoxia "have not made significant headway," the report concludes, in part due to increased development and population growth in coastal watersheds.

Read the complete story from Advantage Business Media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New England's fish stocks are severely depleted. A lack of fish, plus the high cost of going to sea, has put a lot of fishermen out of business. A group of fishermen in Port Clyde, Maine, are changing the marketing and processing of their catch in hopes of making more money on fewer fish.

Listen to the story from NPR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Marine Stewardship Council's response to Pew's opininon piece "Seafood Stewardship in Crisis" published in the Journal Nature follows: @font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }@font-face { font-family: "Tahoma"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 8pt; font-family: Tahoma; }p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.BalloonTextChar { font-family: Tahoma; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }

Scientific consensus on the measure of sustainability

The MSC standard is a measure of the sustainability of a fishery against well-defined principles and criteria. The bar at which a fishery demonstrates it is well-managed and sustainable represents a broad scientific consensus, agreed by over 200 marine biologists, scientists, environmentalists and other stakeholders from around the world, over the course of a two-year consultation period (1997- 1999).

Every certified fishery is sustainable

Every fishery certified to the MSC standard is sustainable and well-managed and fisheries are not, as the authors assert, certified before they can demonstrate their sustainability.

The scoring of a fishery against the MSC standard has two key posts, a score of 60 and 80.  In relation to stock levels (the example used by the authors of the Nature piece), the 60 score represents the precautionary limit for sustainability.  A score of 60 and above indicates that the stock is not overfished and is at a sustainable level, as defined by the 2009 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) guidelines for ecolabelling of fish and fishery products.  A fishery must be able to demonstrate it is sustainable by meeting this score in order to be MSC certified.

The MSC program demands additional precaution and sets a target level for the stock which equates to a score of 80. If a fishery is scored between 60 and 80 for its stock level, the fishery must take action to increase the score to the target 80 within a set period of time.  If the fishery fails to reach this target, it can lose its certification.

This higher level further reduces the risk of the stock —which could be being depleted because of natural fluctuations ­— falling below sustainable levels and allows the fishery sufficient time to respond to new data on stock levels and implement any necessary changes to ensure that the stock can move back up to the higher target level.

Stock abundance is a key indicator of the sustainability of a fishery but further rigor is built-into to the MSC standard by scoring the fishery against a total of thirty one performance indicators. If the score for any one of these indicators is less than 60 the fishery would fail.

Outcome-based system

The authors express their opinion that fisheries that use bottom trawls or utilise the catch for the production of fishmeal should not be viewed as responsible and sustainable. The MSC program does not prescribe gear types or specify the final use of the fishery products. Instead, as an outcome based programme, it requires all fisheries seeking to be certified meet the science-based principles and criteria of the MSC standard that together are a measure of the status of the stock, the level of impact on the environment, and the management system the fishery has in place.  The ‘open’ approach of the MSC program meets the requirement of the guidelines of the UN FAO for a global certification and ecolabel program for fish products. Consequently, the program is open to all fisheries to be assessed against the rigorous, science-based standard. 

The MSC is ambitious about achieving change in management practices where it is needed and driving progress towards sustainability across all types of fisheries and it will do so, not by excluding fisheries from the program, but by encouraging them to participate.

Checks and balances ensure a credible and objective assessment

The MSC program is highly transparent and participatory, and from the outset of the assessment, stakeholders with an interest in the fishery are invited to take part in the assessment and submit information to the expert scientific team.

The MSC methodology requires certifiers to justify the conclusions reached for every score awarded to the fishery under assessment. Once the assessment team has completed its scoring of the fishery, its findings are subject to peer review by at least two independent scientists. Any comments from the peer reviewers must be fully addressed and placed on the public record.

Following the peer review, a Public Comment Draft Report is made available to all stakeholders involved in the assessment for further review and analysis.  The certifier is required to address, in writing, and place on the record, any concerns and questions raised at this stage.

Only after this process has been completed does the certifier issue a final report and determination on the outcome of the assessment. At this stage, stakeholders have the opportunity to lodge an objection.

The value and purpose of the objections procedure

The ability of stakeholders to file an appeal of the certifier's conclusions is a unique and robust feature of the MSC program.  The purpose of the objections procedure is to provide a structured and independent review to ensure that a certifier has followed the correct procedures; has taken into account all the relevant information; and has provided a clear rationale for each score awarded. The ruling on an objection is decided by an Independent Adjudicator, not the MSC.  The objections procedure is therefore the last in a series of checks and balances which ensures the outcome of a fishery assessment is scientifically valid.

The FAO guidelines mentioned above require that objectors bear the costs of the appeal.  The MSC encourages participation in the objection procedure and has recently reduced the upper limit on costs from £15,000 to £5,000 to help ensure access to the procedure by all stakeholders.  In addition, objectors that lack financial resources may qualify for a total exemption from these costs.  Stakeholder participation in the objections procedure has resulted in some cases in fishery scores being reduced to below 80, and as a result, management plans specifying measurable improvements incorporated into the final certification decision.

Ongoing development of methodology and governance

The MSC is continually developing its methods, both technically and in the area of governance and policy and it does this in conjunction with a wide community of stakeholders. Some recent examples include new guidance on assessing low trophic level fisheries; developing a means of assessing data-poor and small-scale fisheries to extend the program more effectively into diverse economies and regions; and changes to the fisheries certification methodology requiring certifiers to make explicit, written responses to all stakeholder comments submitted during assessments.  The purpose of this ongoing work – to which the MSC Board is committed – is to ensure the quality and consistency of all fishery assessments.

Environmental and market impact of the MSC program

The MSC program seeks to motivate change and improvement in fishing practices through market rewards for sustainable practices. The MSC accepts the need to continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of its program to all its stakeholders: it has, for example, commissioned scientific research which will, when complete, provide the most comprehensive analysis to date of the environmental impacts of fishery certification. 

The rigour, credibility and scientific consensus underpinning the MSC standard and methodology has, since 1999, encouraged significant support from fisheries, eNGOs, the supply chain,  governments and others that has helped create a global market for sustainable seafood that today accounts for seven per cent of total wild-capture landings. There is a growing evidence base that certification is driving positive change in the way the world’s oceans are fished, as well as helping more consumers make sustainable seafood choices. 

Ends

Notes to the Editor

1.     Regarding specific fisheries mentioned by the authors

·       Harvest of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba ) is very low – less than 1 per cent of the most recent estimated biomass. The management authority for the fishery is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which was established in part to address concerns that an increase in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious effect on populations of krill.  CCAMLR has adopted a very precautionary approach designed to ensure fishing activities minimize risks to the krill population. Further, for the season 2007/08, the total landings (by all boats operating in the area) were 150,000 tonnes – just four per cent of the total allowable catch set by CCAMLR.

 

·       The pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) fishery in the Bering Sea benefits from very high levels of scientific study and analysis backed up by 100 percent federal observer coverage. The science supporting the fishery is a result of local, state and federal agencies, and industry working together collaboratively. The pollock stock is well known by scientists to fluctuate, rising and falling in natural cycles i.e. not as a result of fishing activity.  Annual harvest levels are set by the management agencies in accordance with these cycles. The important factor relevant to MSC certification is that the population levels are fluctuating around the target reference point (the 80 score) and therefore the fishery has been determined by the independent assessment team to be well managed and sustainable

 

 

·       The Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) fishery was certified as sustainable and well managed following a comprehensive two-year scientific assessment of the fishery completed by an independent, third-party certifier, and a three-month review of an objection to the certifier’s finding that the fishery meets the MSC standard. The conclusion of the Independent Adjudicator was confirmation of the certifier’s original determination i.e. that the fishery meets the MSC standard on all three Principles and should be certified. Stock levels for this fishery are highly variable and large fluctuations are observed, linked to variations in the ecosystem’s capacity to support Pacific hake. Fishery harvests are reduced to precautionary levels when stock assessment models show negative trends. The 89 per cent decline figure used by the authors takes as its basis the highest ever recorded biomass of Pacific hake, 4.6m tonnes in 1984.

 

·       Toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni)is still in assessment and therefore the MSC cannot comment on its status. However, it is important to note that an  ‘exploratory fishery’ is not a fishery without sufficient knowledge to carry out exploitation, but rather a fishery where the management authority sets a highly precautionary catch level while investing in collecting data that is fed back into their own scientific assessment to enable further development of the fishery. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is the management authority for this fishery and, as demonstrated by the case of Antarctic krill, sets very precautionary catch levels for its fisheries.

‘Booming business’ graph and definitions of fishery impact

·       The ‘Booming Business’ graph employs measures based upon a classification of fisheries which is not used in the MSC methodology. The MSC is an outcome based programme and therefore every certified fishery has met the standard, which includes specific indicators used to determine each fishery’s impact on the environment. This is in line with the internationally agreed guidelines for ecolabelling of the UN FAO and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

2.     The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation set up to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabelling programme for wild-capture fisheries consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation guidelines for fisheries certification.  The FAO ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries’ require that credible fishery certification and eco-labelling schemes include:

·       Objective, third-party fishery assessment utilising scientific evidence;

·       Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures;

·       Standards based on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices.

                 

The MSC has offices in London, Seattle, Tokyo, Sydney, The Hague, Edinburgh, Berlin, Cape Town and Paris.

 

In total, over 200 fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme with 94 certified and around 133 under full assessment.  Another 40 to 50 fisheries are in confidential pre-assessment.  Together, fisheries already certified or in full assessment record annual catches of close to seven million metric tonnes of seafood, representing over 12 per cent of global capture production for direct human consumption. The fisheries already certified catch close to four million metric tonnes of seafood annually – over seven per cent of the total wild capture for direct human consumption.  Worldwide, 6000 seafood products, which can be traced back to the certified sustainable fisheries, bear the blue MSC ecolabel.