International & Trade

June 30, 2014 — The government is being pressed to alter the charitable status of environmental groups after a Liberal MP successfully argued to his party that the groups are not “real charities” like the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

A motion introduced by MP Andrew Nikolic to the Liberal federal council called for environmental groups to be stripped of charitable rights, such as the ability to receive tax-deductible donations.

Nikolic, the federal member for the Tasmanian electorate of Bass, said the groups should not be subsidised for political activism, some of it which he claimed was illegal. The conference motion passed the motion unanimously.

“Real charities include the Red Cross and the Salvos,” Nikolic told the conference. “Believe it or not, organisations like the Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation, Bob Brown Foundation and all the environmental defenders offices around Australia are currently recognised as charities as well; the latter provides free legal advice to greens groups.

“The Bob Brown Foundation currently campaigns against the government and is soliciting tax-deductible donations to fund that campaign, while real charities like St Vinnies and Salvos struggle for donors.”

The conference motion states that “eco charities be treated as corporations under consumer and competition law” and “should not be eligible for deductible gift recipient status when advocating political issues”.

Read the full story at The Guardian

WASHINGTON — June 23, 2014 — Ten Asian and Pacific nations have told the Office of the United States Trade Representative that the Agriculture Department’s catfish inspection program violates international law, and their objections could hamper Obama administration efforts to reach a major Pacific trade agreement by the end of next year. They say that the inspection program is a trade barrier erected under the guise of a food safety measure and that it violates the United States’ obligations under World Trade Organization agreements. Among the countries protesting are Vietnam and Malaysia, which are taking part in talks for the trade agreement — known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership — and have the ability to derail or hold up those negotiations.

The complaints are outlined in a May 28 letter signed by diplomats from the 10 countries. The letter does not threaten retaliation, but it emphasizes that the American catfish program stood in the way of the trade talks.

Vietnam, a major catfish producer, has long complained about the program, but it has never before won international support for its fight. Several of the countries whose representatives signed the letter — including the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia — do not have catfish industries to protect and are not involved in the trans-Pacific trade talks.

But the letter expresses the concern that the inspection program could lead the Agriculture Department to expand its ability to regulate seafood exports to the United States, catfish or not.

Read the full story at The New York Times

THAILAND — June 26, 2014 — Thailand is still shipping seafood to the United States and Europe as normal despite the recent accusations of slave labour, according to the Commerce Ministry's survey of trading partners and Thai exporters.
"Importers are still ordering Thai fishery products as usual. Exports to the US and the European Union should not be affected by the problem," Srirat Rastapana, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said yesterday.

However, the Thai fishery industry needs to fix its image soon, as it could make sales abroad difficult and factor into consumers' decision-making in the future, analysts warn.

Thai trade officials in the US and EU markets have reported that Thai shipments to the US have not yet slowed down after Washington downgraded Thailand in its human-trafficking report because most importers and consumers still have high confidence in Thai fishery firms, which have done business with them for many years.

Japan is the largest market for Thai fishery exports so far this year, taking 27.1 per cent of total exports by value. In the first four months, the US accounted for 17.1 per cent, the EU for 13 per cent, mainland China 6.1 per cent, Vietnam 5.2 per cent, South Korea 5.1 per cent, Hong Kong 3.9 per cent and Canada 2.8 per cent.

The labour issue just recently popped up. The Commerce Ministry will closely monitor the impact in the long run as initially it has only had a psychological impact on customers. The government and fishery-related industries need to prove to the public urgently that Thailand has high concern for labour problems and strongly opposes forced labour, Srirat said.

Fishery exports this year should grow as normal, except for only shrimp exports, which will decline as the disease outbreak in hatcheries has not been clearly solved.

Seafood exports, including shrimp, dropped 12.2 per cent in the first four months to US$1.99 billion (Bt64.6 billion). Seafood exports make up 2.7 per cent of the country's total export value.

Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said seafood traders had tried to sell products to various markets and reduce the dependency on giant markets like the US and EU for many years, as emerging economies proliferate. Sales to the US and EU would not affect Thai seafood growth.

Read the full article at The Nation

June 25, 2014 — Increasing numbers of spiny dogfish reported in Nova Scotia waters are causing concern for fishermen and scientists.

An analysis done by Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientists shows the number of spiny dogfish has dramatically jumped in recent years.

"By comparison with some of the other sharks here, there's probably 1,000 times more spiny dogfish out there than other sharks," said Steven Campana, head of the Canadian Shark Research Labratory at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography​.

According to the report, in 2013 there were nearly six times more tonnes of spiny dogfish caught in the 2013 survey off Nova Scotia, compared to the 2012 survey. 

A total of 259,461 tonnes of spiny dogfish were recorded off the coast in 2013, compared to 44,310 in 2012 and just 3,353 in 2011.

"In the case of dogfish, it seems that people are the main influence on numbers," Campana said. "I would say while fishing remains light in Canada, we can expect more and more dogfish to appear, to be born and to grow in these waters. For the near future, it looks like the path for dogfish, onwards, is up."

Read the full story at the CBC

UNITED KINGDOM — June 25, 2014 — Lobster is not big business for the U.K. inshore fishing fleet, compared with its counterparts in Canada and North America, but it still contributes more than GBP 31 million (USD 52.6 million, EUR 38.7 million) to the economy and keeps a good many small-scale fishermen afloat. According to Seafish, stocks of European lobster in U.K. coastal waters are currently in a satisfactory state, with stable or increasing catch rates, and no sign of imminent decline in recruitment of young lobsters into the stock.

However, there is always room for improvement, and U.K. fishermen point to the fact that demand outstrips supply, especially in December, when the market in Europe increases significantly. They also feel that greater effort could be made to sell European lobster in the U.K. retail market, instead of importing American lobster, although price is a major factor in this.

One company hoping to increase lobster landings is National Lobster Hatchery in Cornwall, whose laboratory and visitor center is adjacent to TV celebrity chef Rick Stein’s famous Seafood Restaurant. It is a pioneering marine conservation, research and education charity, whose main aim is to help conserve vulnerable lobster populations and preserve coastal marine biodiversity.

Dom Boothroyd, general manager, explained that lobster stocks in other countries are vulnerable and that both the Scandinavian and Mediterranean stocks have completely collapsed and are yet to recover.

“We have established ourselves as a center for excellence in lobster science and our research is cited all around the world. Through this we hope to develop better techniques to help re-establish lobster populations where they have declined, and to increase fisheries in areas where catches are poor,” he said. “We know we can’t feed the world, but we can make a contribution by providing a successful fisheries management tool that will help sustain the future of our seas and the coastal communities that rely on the lobster fishery for their livelihood.”

The European lobster is slow to grow and can live to more than 100 years old, without showing any signs of ageing, and still being good to eat. The hatchery has also found that older lobsters also produce more eggs than younger specimens.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com

RUSSIAN FEDERATION — June 24, 2014 — The Russian government estimates that illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) crab fishing in Russian waters represents USD 700 million every year.

According to Russian authorities, king crab legally harvested in Alaska mostly goes to Asia, where it fetches a higher price, while cheaper king crab from Russia gets imported to the United States to fulfill the domestic demand.

An unknown number of ships poaching crab is part of the bigger, global industry of pirate fishing, which the conservation group Oceana estimates takes at least USD 10 billion of seafood a year from the world’s waters in violation of various national and international laws.

“This is a global problem that subjects our fishermen to unfair competition with illegally caught fish products entering the marketplace here and abroad. Illegal fishing also depletes fish stocks, which ultimately hurts the legal fishermen, fishing nations and their economies,” pointed out Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for the NOAA Fisheries Service.

British research organization, Chatham House, reports that such IUU activity may then show a high chance of success from the failure of governments to adequately regulate, or to enforce national or international laws. A particular driver behind IUU fishing is the failure of a number of flag states to exercise any effective regulation over ships on their registers – which in turn creates an incentive for ships to register under these 'flags of convenience'.

Read the full story at FIS.com

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — June 24, 2014 — In Bangkok today, eight major Thai seafood trade associations held a news conference to deny that they are using any forced labor.

Prior to the press conference, Thiraphong Chansiri, President of Thai Union Frozen Products, said he was disappointed in the US downgrade that suggested Thailand’s remedial efforts were insufficient.

“WE had hoped the continued concerted effort by the Thai fishing industry and relevant government units to eradicate illegal and unethical labor practices would maintain or move Thailand up from Tier 2”, he told the Bangkok Post.

Poj Aramwattananont, President of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said that “We want to assure the public the fishing operators who are association members have not breached labor laws.”

He also said that it will be 90 days before the US decides on sanctions, if any, on Thai producers.

Four associations represent the Thai shrimp supply chain:  The Thai Frozen Food Association (which all shrimp exporters belong to); The Thai shrimp Association, which represents farmers, the Thai Feed Mill association, representing feed producers, and the Thai Fishmeal Producers Association, representing fishmeal producers.

All shrimp exporters are members of TFFA. There are mandatory programs such as GMP and HACCP for health and sanitation purposes, administered by the Thailand Department of Fisheries.  Customers also require Social Responsibility Audit to ensure that environmental and ethical standards are met.  A Good Labor Practice (GLP) Program by the Ministry of Labor and the Department of Fisheries is being implemented, with ILO as advisor and co-facilitator.

Concerning the Child and Forced Labor issue, TFFA has continuously worked with Local and National authorities to improve and monitor the work places along the supply chain. Any member found violating the Ethical Code will be expelled.  The latest TIP Report mentioned only one case about shrimp : a peeling shed prosecuted in 2009.

The abuses documented in the TIP report no longer are in factories or subcontractors used by Thai Producers, but are on illegal and unregistered fishing vessels.

Shrimp farmers provide full traceability for shrimp down to fry and feed.  Farm operations are also audited for Good Aquaculture Practices mainly for environmental concern.

There has never been any allegation of Child or Forced Labor among Thai shrimp farmers.
14 TFMA members produce shrimp feed.  At present about  350,000 tons of shrimp feed were annually sold to farmers.  This translates to 100,000 tons of fishmeal needed as ingredient along with imported soybean meal. TFMA members buy fishmeal from traceable fishmeal producers.

Because the process is highly automated and not labor intensive, there is no issue with labor abuse in feed production.

The Thai Fish Meal Producers Association currently has 74 members.  Raw materials going into fishmeal production come from fish processing plants as well as local by catch.  Fishmeal to be used for shrimp feed demands high protein content and brings higher price than average.  For the 100,000 tons annual need, 65,000 tons are from big processing plants using imported fish, mainly tuna. The 35,000 tons demand comes from local by-catch are easily met by registered fishing boats.  Members of the Fish Meal association do not purchase from unregistered fishing vessels.

This structure in Thailand means that the infrastructure is in place for auditing and clarifying that the Thai shrimp supply chain is not engaged in using forced or abusive labor practices, and in fact is a leader in trying to stamp out such practices.

At the news conference Poj said that by July 15th, they hoped to bring proof to US authorities that Thai shrimp and tuna industries are not involved in either child labor or forced labor, and should not be included in any sanctions. 

“We are confident in our evidence, but are not sure of their decision,” said Poj.

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

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM]  June 24, 2014 — Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, a subsidiary of Thai Union Frozen Products, has issued a statement following Friday's downgrade of Thailand to Tier 3 status in the US annual Trafficking in Persons report.

"Operating with integrity, high ethical standards and upholding human rights is of the utmost importance to Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods and Thai Union Frozen Product PCL; any form of human trafficking and forced labor is unacceptable," said Bryan Rosenberg, President and CEO of Chicken of hte Sea Frozen Foods. 

"We stress ethical procurement of our products, which means abiding by local and international laws and third-party standards for upholding the human rights of workers. Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods also regularly undergoes stringent customer-specific social audits."

"The problems in Thailand are complex and stem from a myriad of factors, ” continued Rosenberg.

“We as an industry and throughout the supply chain must work together to improve traceability and enforcement of laws and social standards designed to protect workers and ensure operators and consumers that products they purchase are responsibly sourced. ”

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods and Thai Union are fiercely committed to preventing human rights violations of any kind, and we work in full cooperation with our customers in order to raise the standard for ethical labor practices within our supply and distribution chains.

We take our responsibility seriously and continually strive to be an accessible, transparent and reliable business partner to our customers, consumers and stakeholders in the U. S. and around the world.

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

June 23, 2014 — With Thailand and Cambodia both feeling the pinch from the sudden exodus of more than 200,000 Cambodian workers out of Thailand, the two countries are now working together to try and get them back to their old jobs legally, as fast as possible.

Some 225,000 Cambodians, mostly undocumented, have fled their jobs in Thailand in the past two weeks amid widespread rumors of a crackdown on illegal labor by the Thai Army, which has been ruling the country with an ever-tighter grip since overthrowing the government in Bangkok last month.

Thai businesses have already started to complain of the costly dent that the sudden departures have had on farms, construction sites and seafood factories across the east of the country. In Cambodia, the government is scrambling to find the returnees new jobs and new skills at ill-equipped training centers.

Eager to get them back to Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Sen has signed an order slashing the price of passports for migrant workers from $124 to $4 and promising to have applications processed within 20 days.

On Friday, Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng laid out yet more steps Cambodia and Thailand will be taking together to cut down on the time and hassle of getting a work license.

Read the full story at the Cambodia Daily

SEAFOODNEWS.COM — June 23, 2014 — In a move that will infuriate many Scandinavians, the WWF has redlisted fresh prawns from the North Sea and Skagerrak fisheries.  This was the major change in the new issue of WWF's Seafood Traffic Light publication, in which they changed local shrimp to red, and mackerel from green to yellow. The buying guide was last updated in 2012.
 
WWF urges Norwegians to keep eating frozen prawns, from the Barents Sea and Greenland and Canada, but draws the line at the summer treat of local fresh shrimp.
 
They say that catches have been declining, but more specifically they redlisted the fishery because of a high bycatch of small shrimp, which are discarded, and the failure to use sorting grids to reduce other bycatch.
 
“There’s a lot of mistakes and deficiencies regarding management of shrimp in the North Sea and Skagerrak,” Lars Andresen of WWF-Norge told newspaper Dagsavisen on Monday. “Dumping of small shrimps seems to be on the increase in all three Scandinavian countries that fish these stocks, that is Norway, Sweden and Denmark.”
 
He added that the shrimp boats can also catch too many other threatened species, while the actual shrimp stocks themselves may be lower than estimated. Andresen said international experts thus recommend that the shrimp catch be cut in half from the amount caught last year. “And we think shrimp managment overall must improve,” he told Dagsavisen.
 
Many Norwegians prefer freshly cooked shrimp, often sold right off the boat in harbours all along the coast.
 
Erik Johannesen, skipper on board the fishing boat Pelican at Oslo Harbour, scoffed at the WWF warning and told Dagsvisen that “if folks follow it, I’ll go bankrupt.” He conceded that shrimp stocks have declined in the Oslo Fjord over the past several years, but he attributes that to “natural swings” and not to any overfishing.
 
Johannesen claimed he and his colleagues only fish in a small area of the fjord, “and we’re not taking anything close to all the shrimp found here. Our catch is just a drop in the bucket.”

The following story appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.