International & Trade

May 23, 2012 – On 19 May, the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) closed its annual meeting, without having taken any decision to address the steepest ever decline in Mediterranean fish stocks, says Oceana.

Although 96% of Mediterranean demersal fish stocks are overfished, and GFCM scientists have recommended significant reductions of fishing pressure, Oceana was alarmed that Mediterranean states “turned a deaf ear” to the recommendations and instead opted to maintain status quo.

María José Cornax, fisheries campaign manager for Oceana Europe, and observer at the meeting, expressed the organisation’s strong disappointment over the outcome: “Mediterranean countries’ chronic ‘fish-and-run’ approach is pushing the region’s fisheries to their very limits.”

Oceana says that the underlying problems are not limited to GFCM. Resistance to carrying out actual management came directly from European Union internal negotiations, where countries such as France, Italy, and Spain blocked any attempt to manage Mediterranean fisheries.

Read the full story here.

 

 

May 21, 2012 – EU – The price of a failed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is high, said Guus Pastoor, President of the European Fish Processors Association and the European Federation of National Organisations of Importers and Exporters of Fish (AIPCE-CEP). Charlotte Johnston, TheFishSite editor reports.

There are disastrous consequences if the market does not accept the CFP reform, he said, addressing a debate at World Fisheries Congress 2012.

He laid out what he believes are the key components to the reform and what their failures would mean:
Reform to better manage fish stocks – failure to do this will result in ecological loss.
Optimise fishing and market opportunities – failure will result in economic loss.
Restore societies confidence in fisheries – failure of this will mean a loss of reputation in seafood.
Consumers already have a negative perception of CFP, which means the changes this time must be hard hitting and effective, he said.

Mr Pastoor said to achieve this the whole industry must work together.

Read the full story here.

 

 

May 18, 2012 – A World Trade Organization panel has ruled the US "dolphin safe" tuna labeling may unfairly discriminate against Mexico.

According to Reuters, this now raises the possibility of sanctions on US goods.

The dolphin safe labeling system was introduced 20 years ago to protect dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific, the source for almost all of America's tuna.

According to a 2003 BBC article, as many as 300,000 dolphins and whales are killed annually by fishing nets.

Campaigners say the labels have been successful in reducing the number of dolphins killed by tuna fishing fleets, and the system has strong support from the Obama administration and from congress, according to the Guardian.

The Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project, which established the Dolphin Safe Tuna labeling program and monitors tuna companies around the world for compliance, has condemned the decision to do away with the labeling.

 IMMP director David Phillips called the decision an outrageous attack that would ensure thousands of dolphins horrible deaths in tuna nets while lying to consumers about the Dolphin Safe status of such tuna.

Phillips and the IMMP will urge the Obama Administration and the US Congress to refuse to weaken the standards for Dolphin Safe tuna.

Read the full article at Fox News.

 

 

May 15, 2012, HANOI, Vietnam—Vietnam is protesting China's fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea that Hanoi claims as its own.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi says in a statement posted on the ministry's website late Tuesday that Vietnam considers China's decision "invalid."

China's seasonal ban begins Wednesday and is meant to curb overfishing in the South China Sea. But parts of the sea also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The sea has valuable fishing grounds and shipping lanes, and is believed to be rich in oil and gas.

Read the full story from the AP.

 

 

Addressing “Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World”, the Congress was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales and, over the course of five days, tackled the science that underpins sustainable fishing; adaptive management and tools to cope with changing environments and the social and economic cost of failure.

Delivering the closing address, Eric Schwaab, acting assistant secretary for conservation and management at the US Department of Commerce, the parent agency for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, described how the US has rebuilt 27 depleted fish stocks since 2000 and shared details of the process that is quickly ending overfishing.

A programme of panel discussions took place each day, welcoming global experts and politicians to debate the most pertinent issues affecting international fisheries, policy and best practice. The panels addressed:

Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform proposals: panellists reached the unanimous view that reducing unwanted catches and discards is vital for the success of fisheries reform;

Read the complete article from FishUpdate.com

 

 

 

 

 

May 11, 2012 – The efficacy of seafood certification systems has been debated at the 6th World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh, as part of a series of topical sustainability panels.

The debate covered advanced sustainable practices across the international seafood sector, which is required to support healthy seas and the societies that depend on them. Developing best practices in fisheries, fish farms and the seafood supply chain are varied, but in recent years Standards, Certification and Labelling have played a more prominent role.

Standards, Certification and Labelling covers a range of facets relating to policy; communities; food security; market access; data and science. Within the seafood industry, there is an accepted consensus that the environmental credentials of seafood can at times be confusing due to the multiple seafood rating systems currently in place.

The panel also examined the opportunity and reality of Standards and Certification in transitioning fisheries towards sustainability including the role of Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs).

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the best-known certifying organisation, with currently over 100 fisheries and many more seafood products certified. David Agnew, Director of Standards at MSC, was a keynote speaker at the event. He comments: “The overall aim of certification should be to assure suppliers and consumers of long term sustainability where sourcing is concerned. The MSC certification requirements deliver this assurance.  Fisheries that are overfished will not meet the MSC standard, and one has had its certificate suspended this year as a result of a decline in stock size below a safe biological level.”

Read the full story here.

 

 

May 10, 2012 – Major fishing companies will appear before the Competition Tribunal after Oceana fishing admitted to price collusion in the industry and was fined nearly R35 million.

Yesterday the Competition Commission announced that it had settled with Oceana Group Limited and Oceana Brands Limited – which produces Lucky Star canned fish – with the company agreeing to pay a penalty of R34 750 050 – 5% of its 2010 turnover for pelagic fish (anchovy, pilchards and red-eye herring).

Brimstone Investments Corporation Limited and Tiger Brands Limited are both substantial shareholders in the Oceana Group.

Oceana Group chief executive officer Francois Kuttel said: “Oceana has co-operated fully with the commission during its investigation and, while we deeply regret the commission’s findings, we acknowledge that this occurred, with the exception of the Sea Harvest matter.

Read the full story here.

 

 

May 9, 2012 – As part of the World Fisheries Congress – taking place at the EICC, Edinburgh, Scotland, 7-11 May – two panel sessions are set to examine the critically important topic of illegal and unsustainable pirate fishing, which threatens global fisheries and the countries and communities that depend on them.

The relentless search for a better catch has led to rampant illegal fishing across our oceans – plundering many of our valuable marine resources.

One in four fisheries around the world has collapsed in the past 50 years because of unsustainable fishing practices – resulting in depleted fish stocks globally. Financial losses are estimated to run to in the region of US$ 10 billion and US$ 23.5 billion per year – representing between 11 and 26 million tonnes of fish.

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) is the term given to any fishing activity that contravenes national or international laws. Broadcaster, Al Jazeera has released a two-part documentary which addresses this deadly serious issue.

Filmed in Sierra Leone in West Africa, which has a highest incidence of IUU in the world, a special screening of ‘Pirate Fish’ is being aired at the conference.

Read the full story here.

 

 

May 9, 2012 – PRINCE Charles warned yesterday that Britain’s national dish of fish and chips is at risk unless more care is taken to manage fish stocks.

The prince has called for much more rigorous action around the world to ensure fish stocks do not run out.

He called for “fisheries management, accompanied by sound science” to ensure that fish and chip shops continue as thriving businesses.

In a keynote speech in Edinburgh, the Duke of Rothesay also warned of the “dire” social and economic consequences of fish stocks failing around the world, claiming the poorest will be hardest hit.

The prince, who set up his own “international sustainability unit”, was speaking at the World Fisheries Congress, which is being held for the first time in the UK.

The event also heard a warning from scientists that the impact of climate change on fish stocks may lead to more international “conflict”.

A report, published yesterday to coincide with the congress, said some fish including cod and mackerel were moving into new waters, increasing the likelihood of tension between governments trying to set quotas for their national fleets.

Read the full story at the Scotsman.

 

May 8, 2012 – Campaigners want to see businesses take a more active role in negotiations to reform the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and tackle controversial issues such as ‘discards’.

Read the article here.