International & Trade

October 21, 2014 — American intervention and “blind luck” prevented disaster on B.C.’s north coast this week when a disabled cargo ship drifted dangerously close to the shores of Haida Gwaii, opposition critics charged Monday in the House of Commons.

A commercial U.S. tug towed the Russian-flagged Simushir to safety at Prince Rupert after the Canadian Coast Guard struggled to rein in the ship. The vessel was carrying hundreds of tonnes of fuel when it lost power Thursday, sparking concerns it would create an environmental disaster if it ran aground, and prompting concern from New Democrats and Liberals over the prospect of a dramatic increase in supertankers plying the same waters.

NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen, who represents the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding in northern B.C., demanded to know how anyone can back a “government plan to put hundreds of oil supertankers off the B.C. coast when we don’t even have the capacity to protect ourselves right now.”

He said only “blind luck” prevented a disaster before help could arrive.“If dodging a bullet doesn’t wake you up, I don’t know what will. It’s important for Canadians to understand how close this was.”

Read the full story from The Vancouver Sun

 

October 20, 2014 — It might seem odd: Cuban fisheries managers and scientists seated around a table in this fabled but faded Cape Cod fishing port, sharing their stories of managing crocodiles, manatees and reef fish while trying to absorb the successes and failures of the New England fisheries.

But, as Elisa Garcia, Cuba's director of fishing regulations and science put it, there is universality to the problems nations encounter in managing fish stocks.

"We all gain from the exchange and the experience of my colleagues from the United States," Garcia said through a translator during a break in a conference last week featuring fisheries experts from Cuba, the United States and Mexico, at the Center for Coastal Studies. "We are talking about different places and species but the problems are similar," she added.

The Environmental Defense Fund, a national and international environmental advocacy organization, sponsored the Provincetown conference as one of five meetings with international fishery experts they hold each year that are intended to address issues in Cuban fisheries management, where the EDF has been working for almost 15 years. The United States, Mexico and Cuba have been working together, both through official and unofficial channels, on Gulf of Mexico fisheries issues and sustainable fishing practices.

EDF staffers believe the New England experience, both positive and negative, could be valuable for the Cubans. As lifting the 54-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba is hotly debated, and some say imminent, Provincetown is an example of how the pressure from tourism and development can affect fishing's shoreside facilities such as piers, supply shops and processing plants.

"We learn from each country, even if the fishery is different," said Stuart Fulton, an oceanographer from Great Britain, working on marine conservation with a Mexican environmental organization.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

October 14, 2014 — The following was released by the European Commission:

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has today proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. The move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In contrast, the Commission today confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, said: "Our policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results. Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka. I hope that the message we are sending today will be a wake-up call for this country."

Sri Lanka needs to address illegal fishing

According to the Commission's assessment, Sri Lanka has not sufficiently addressed the shortcomings in its fisheries control system identified in November 2012. The main weaknesses include shortcomings in the implementation of control measures, a lack of deterrent sanctions for the high seas fleet, as well as lacking compliance with international and regional fisheries rules.

As a result, the Commission tables a ban on fisheries products caught by Sri Lankan vessels being imported into the EU. In order to avoid disrupting ongoing commercial contracts, the full trade measures will only come into force in mid-January 2015, which is three months after the decision is published in the EU's Official Journal.

Progress confirmed for Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu

The Commission has today also proposed to remove Belize from the list of non-cooperating third countries in the fight against illegal fishing and to end the trade measures imposed against the country in March 2014. Belize has demonstrated its commitment to reforming its legal framework and adopting a new set of rules for inspection, control and monitoring of vessel. The Council will take a decision in this respect.

In a similar vein, the Commission also announced the termination of steps against Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu who all received a formal warning in November 2012. The countries have taken concrete measures in addressing established shortcomings and shown commitment to complete structural reforms in order to address illegal fishing.

The Commission has prolonged the cooperation with Korea, Curacao and Ghana until January 2015. Despite some progress achieved in these countries, which have received formal warnings in November 2013, more time is needed in these countries to make changes.

Commissioner Damanaki said: "The improvements Belize made as regards its fisheries control system since its 'red card' show that the EU's fight against illegal fishing works. The formalised cooperation with the EU has helped the country to move towards sustainable fisheries. The same goes for Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu. These countries' positive attitude should serve as a template to other countries in similar situations."

For more information

MEMO: Question and Answers on the EU's fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing (MEMO/14/584)

Statement by Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, 14 October 2014 (STATEMENT/14/314)

Press Release: Commission warns third countries over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing, 15 November 2012 (IP/12/1215)

Press Release: European Commission intensifies the fight against illegal fishing, 26 November 2013 (IP/13/1162)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This key instrument in the fight against illegal fishing aims to allow access to the EU market only to fisheries products that have been certified as legal by the flag state or the exporting state concerned.

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — Oct 17, 2014 — The World Wildlife Fund has released a report (link) charging that there remains a significant problem with illegally harvested king crab in Russia.

To make this case, the WWF relies on customs data over the past ten years – during which time there was a well known and highly publicized illegal fishery, which resulted in trials and arrests of some of the principal operators.
 
However, the Russian government has been attempting to crack down on this level of IUU fishing for years, and WWF admits that this has had some success.  WWF's own data show that their estimates of IUU crab harvest in Russia in 2013 was the lowest in 14 years.
 
However, the WWF does document some instances of illegal operations in 2014.  This is not a problem that has dissappeared, but it is a problem that is being successfully managed.
 
For this reason, the focus on the magnitude of the problem over the past 10-12 years, as opposed to the way in which this problem has been reduced is somewhat misleading.
 
In particular, there is little evidence provided by WWF that American imports of Russian crab are based on IUU fish.
 
The traceability required by many purchasers, the enforcement actions taken by NOAA, and the publicity over IUU crab have meant that virtually all the crab imported into the US is properly documented, and that companies are taking steps to understand and catch forgeries or false documentation.  This is primarily done by purchasing through reputable known suppliers who can account for their chain of custody.
 
“The magnitude of illegal crab fishing threatens the long-term sustainability of the fishery and puts the western Bering Sea marine ecosystem at risk,” said Michele Kuruc, WWF vice president of marine policy. “The US is likely importing large quantities of crab and other seafood which may have been illegally caught. The problem is the US is unable to say how much is illegal. We need a way to obtain and assess this information if we want to address this global illegal fishing problem.”
 
The WWF fails to make the case that the US is 'likely' importing large quantities of IUU crab.  It is well known that Japanese crab processing companies in Hokkaido have long been the principal buyers  – as live crab can be landed and sold directly to these packers.  The Japanese-Russian agreement on enforcement, though repeatedly delayed, is now coming into force in December, and has resulted in a last minute rush of IUU landings in Hokkaido.
 
However, even here the problem is well on its way to a resolution, with the crackdown cutting the volume of illegal live crab landings in Japan by 75% to 80%.
 
WWF says the Russian government has recognized for years that there is corruption and widespread illegal activity in its fisheries sector. In 2013, it took an important step forward by putting forth a set of ambitious domestic goals to address the causes and conditions that enable illegal harvesting. It also has started developing bilateral agreements with its major trade partners–the US, Japan, South Korea, and China.
 
“Russia cannot solve this problem without cooperation from buyers of Russian seafood,” said Konstantin Zgurovsky, the head of the WWF-Russia marine program. “We need better port control and a transparent, international monitoring system of fishing activity and seafood trade. Otherwise, we may lose stocks of our most valuable species like crab," says WWF.
 
The report is full of good information about the quotas and status of Russian stocks. However, the data does not support the conclusions at the current time, although within the past decade there is no question this has been a seriously out of control fishery.
 
Ultimately the IUU issue in Russia is about corruption, and so long as corruption is prevalent there will never be a time when no illegal fishing takes place.  It is admirable that the WWF would want to take on the issue of corruption in Russia, which extends not just in the fishing industry, but permeates the entire economy.   However, there is no need to scare US buyers about the origin of their king crab in making this case.
 
Finally, WWF does not take into account golden king crab when calculating the percentage of Russian crab in the US market.  Their average percentage – of around 77% – refers to the Russian market share of red and blue king crab in the US.
 
In our own analysis, when golden king crab, sold in the US as king crab, is added to the mix, the Alaska share is generally between 25% and 40%.

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

October 16, 2014 — Enjoy the flathead fillets dished up last night? Chances are the "flathead" was an unrelated species, bottom-trawled in Argentinian waters.

Australia's lax labelling laws for seafood mean restaurants and retailers can withhold information on the origins and species of popular seafood, depriving consumers of the ability to make informed choices.

On Thursday, Greenpeace and the Australian Marine Conservation Society launched the Label My Fish campaign, demanding Australian laws match the European Union standards that require the origin, species and method used to catch or farm be declared on seafood labels.

"The Aussie 'flathead' we think we are eating may well be an imported, cheaper South American fish, of a completely different family," said David Ritter, chief executive of Greenpeace Australia. "But there is often no labelling on your pub or fast food menu, or packet of frozen 'flathead', to reveal the truth."

The Label My Fish alliance, backed by celebrity chefs, academics, and Taronga Zoo and Zoos Victoria, says clearer labelling will encourage the use of sustainable fishing methods, boost the local fishing industry and lift public health protections.

Greenpeace research shows basa, native to the Mekong Delta and not a member of the dory family, is often marketed as "pacific dory". Two-thirds of barramundi is imported from Asia.

Read the full story from The Sydney Morning Herald

SEAFOODNEWS.COM — by John Sackton Oct 16, 2014 — The Groundfish Forum has concluded in Rome today, and the organizers have released their annual summary of groundfish harvests expected in 2015.

Totals expected harvest in 2015 for major wild caught species (cod, pollock, hake, hoki, redfish) were 7.078 million metric tons, vs. and estimate of 7.093 million metric tons in 2014.
 
Cod stocks will decline slightly, by around 100,000 tons mostly in the Barents Sea stock shared between Norway and Russia.  Pollock will increase by about the same amount, driven mostly by a prediction of an 80,000 ton increase in Russia, and potentially as much as a 50,000 ton increase in Alaska.   However, even though the stock will support the larger catch in Alaska, other management considerations, including the 2 million metric ton cap on all harvests, may mean the final pollock TAC is lower than these estimates.
 
What is remarkable is that of the 11 specific stocks the forum tracks, only North Pacific Hake is expected to be significantly different (i.e 10% or more) from the harvest level this year.   The US harvest of North Pacific Hake (or whiting) is expected to fall from 268,000 tons this year to 200,000 tons next year.
 
However, given the recent early shut down in that fishery due to bycatch limits, the 2014 forecast may not materialize.
 
All of these eleven groundfish stocks are under secure and robust management systems, and this is certainly a factor contributing to their overall stability.
 
No management system aims to avoid changes in the stock, rather the goal is to reduce fishing pressure as when needed so that the maximum sustainable yield can be maintained over a longer period of time.
 
Many of these stocks appear to be benefiting from longer term healthy management.  For example, taking the group as a whole, since 2012, the total harvest has risen about 4%. 
 
Regarding farmed species, especially tilapia and pangasius, the Groundfish forum does not have accurate estimates.  Instead they extrapolate from FAO data.  For catfish and pangasius, they expect a total producton of 1.727 million tons, down substantially from the FAO estimate of 2.025 million tons in 2012.  The reduction is largely a result of revisions to producton numbers from Vietnam, which is seen as producting about 750,000 tons currently, not the 1 million plus tons they produced a few years ago.
 
Regarding tilapia, the forum was not willing to go beyond the FAO numbers which show a global production of 3.197 million tons in 2012.
 
Taking both farmed and wild species together, total whitefish is around 11.4 million tons, of which 62% is wild caught, and 38% is farmed.
 
A link to the Forum handout is here.

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

October 15, 2014 — Tokyo hopes to boost international pressure on South Korea to remove its import ban on seafood produced in eight prefectures, including Fukushima, according to government officials.

The central government will continue expressing its concern about South Korea’s import ban at meetings of the World Trade Organization, by saying that the South Korean measure runs counter to international trade rules.

Tokyo will appeal to the international community in the hopes that exports of seafood will be able to resume from the eight prefectures to South Korea, the officials said Tuesday.

Read the full story from The Japan Times

 

October 15, 2014 — In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing.

The move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In contrast, the Commission confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, said: "Our policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results. Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka. I hope that the message we are sending today will be a wake-up call for this country."

Read the full story at The Fish Site

October 14, 2014 — New Zealand's tuna sector representatives voiced concern after learning that Kiribati has settled a fishing deal with China and Taiwan without telling the rest of the Pacific Nations and will force most of the American tuna fleet out of its vast waters.

The small South Pacific nation’s decision, which is a major threat to the viability of New Zealand tuna fishing operations, has shattered the regional fishing consensus, Stuff website reported.

Besides, New Zeland's officials wonder what the future of the skipjack tuna fishery in the South Pacific will be like. This species, one of the major one in the Pacific, is currently regarded as sustainable and healthy

“With this, China is now taking over the South Pacific and there will be no sustainability,” one industry leader told Stuff and also warned that “this will rip the guts out of the American tuna fleet.”

Read the full story at FIS

October 14, 2014 — Mackerel and herring fisherman will be able to “bank” up to 72,500 tonnes of their haul next year after the EU agreed to flexible quotas in the wake of Russian sanctions.

The EU Fisheries Council last night agreed to allow fishermen to roll over 25% of the 2014 quota, up from the standard 10%, for use in 2015.

Outgoing EU fisheries chief Maria Damanaki had previously called on EU member states to sanction a rollover of 30% of quota into 2015.

UK fisheries ministers claimed the deal, a result of lobbying of the EU, will provide more time for industry to make trade deals with new international markets, making up for the loss of Russian trade.

The Russian ban has had the biggest effect in Scotland where fishermen hold 70% of the UK mackerel quota.

Read the full story at The Press and Journal