Saving Seafood

Aichi progress acknowledges sustainable fishing – and MSC program – helps maintain ocean biodiversity

September 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 reports on the progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010-2020) [1] and outlines seven transitions needed to reach 2030 goals and the agreed vision for 2050: ‘Living in harmony with nature’. The report says that where good fisheries management policies have been introduced – involving stock assessments, catch limits, and enforcement – the abundance of marine fish stocks has been maintained or rebuilt. It also notes that sustainable fisheries are dependent on healthy ocean ecosystems, highlighting growth in fisheries certified to the MSC’s globally recognised standard for sustainable fishing as progress towards achieving the Aichi targets and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water”.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s Chief Science and Standards Officer, Rohan Currey, said:

“The oceans are home to an extraordinary diversity of life and constitute more than 90% of the habitable space on the planet. The loss of species and habitats highlighted in the UN report on biodiversity not only impact the survival of other species, but of humans too – billions of people rely on seafood as their main source of protein.
 
“There is hope. Across the globe, fisheries large and small are demonstrating it is possible to be more productive and profitable by maintaining healthy fish stocks, minimising impacts on marine ecosystems and following good management systems by meeting the criteria we set for sustainable fisheries.
 
“Today, more than 15% of global catch is certified to the MSC Standard, and we have set an ambitious target to have more than a third of landings engaged in the MSC program by 2030. MSC certification recognises fisheries performance consistent with many of the Aichi biodiversity targets and, while progress takes time, there are great examples of progress and innovation.
 
“Making fishing sustainable can be achieved through broad commitments and leadership from organisations across the fishing, retail, government, conservation and science communities. We have already achieved so much together – now is the time to redouble our efforts to end overfishing and its negative impact on biodiversity.”

Remote assessments and audits to continue for MSC partners affected by pandemic

September 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council is continuing to permit remote assessments and audits where Covid-19 restrictions prevent on-site audits. This is due to the continuing impact of the pandemic on the sustainable seafood industry.

The decision is based on the MSC’s close monitoring of the effect of previous derogations for fisheries and chain of custody holders and is effective from 28 September 2020 to 27 March 2021.

An unprecedented initial six-month automatic extension to the usual timelines for MSC assessments and certifications came into effect on 27 March 2020 and will end on 27 September 2020.

MSC certificate holders may continue to use remote assessments and audits in place of the usual site visits for another six months where national or local Covid-19 restrictions apply or the independent assessor considers a health risk is involved. Initial assessments of fisheries and supply-chains for businesses that do not yet have a certificate will require additional risk assessments and reviews. Remote assessments have proven effective since their implementation in March.

Chain of Custody certificate holders who are required to undergo independent labour audits still have until 28 March 2021 or the second audit in the revised standard (whichever is later), to complete these.

Chief Science and Standards Officer at the MSC, Rohan Currey said:

“Many fisheries and supply chains continue to be affected by the impacts of the pandemic. Certificate holders must continue to meet the requirements of the MSC Standards. We recognise this may require alternative measures to ensure sustainability and traceability of seafood.

“We want to reassure those engaged in our program that we recognise the local constraints on many partners, and we will do what we can to support our partners through these unprecedented times. However we must maintain the integrity of our global certification programs for the long-term benefit of all partners.”

Details of the temporary changes to assessment and certification processes are available via the MSC website. The MSC team will be contacting fisheries, conformity assessment bodies and partners in the sustainable seafood supply chain with further information in the coming days. Other MSC activities, such as the licensing of products, will carry on as normal.

Updated MSC Fisheries Certification Process Manual Now Available

March 30, 2020 — The Marine Stewardship Council issued a new version of their 187-page Fisheries Certification Process (FCP) on Tuesday that addressed, among other things, shark finning and separating certified and non-certified catch while fishing. Both have been contentious issues in recent years.

The FCP is the go-to source for eligibility criteria and the process by which fisheries are assessed against the MSC Fisheries Standard.

Read the full story at Seafood News

MSC to end certification of fishing vessels engaged in compartmentalization by 2023

March 25, 2020 — Fishing vessels certified by the Marine Stewardship Council will no longer be able to target a stock using non-certified fishing practices, beginning in 2023.

The MSC had been criticized for allowing “compartmentalization,” the practice of fishing vessels using certified and non-certified fishing methods while utilizing the same gear type. MSC-certified purse-seine tuna fisheries that employ certified “free-school” fishing methods and non-certified harvesting using fish aggregating devices or FADs had come under particular scrutiny, particularly from the “On the Hook” advocacy campaign. In response, last month, the MSC said it would address those concerns.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ISSF Welcomes Fisheries, Policy and Conservation Experts to Board of Directors

April 11, 2019 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today three Board of Directors appointments: fisheries scientist Dr. Rohan Currey of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC); “Law of the Sea” scholar and fisheries law policy expert Dr. Martin Tsamenyi of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia; and Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo, a conservation scientist from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Dr. Rohan Currey is responsible for ensuring that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard is based on robust scientific evidence and best practices in ecosystem-based fisheries management — and also implemented effectively in MSC fisheries assessments. Before joining, Dr. Currey was a Principal Scientist at New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, specializing in marine mammal science and Antarctic fisheries science. He represented New Zealand in the International Whaling Commission and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). In CCAMLR, he was the New Zealand Government’s principal science advisor for the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area and the Ross Sea toothfish fishery. Dr. Currey earned a Ph.D. in marine mammal science from the University of Otago, with a research background in cetacean population biology, ecology, mark-recapture analysis, population viability analysis and risk assessment. He is a member the IUCN Species Survival Commission Cetacean Specialist Group; invited participant at the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, where he convenes the sessions on bycatch; and member of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

“ISSF’s mission is to help global tuna fisheries become capable of achieving the MSC certification standard,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “To have representation and input from such a high caliber leader at the MSC is critical, and Dr. Currey’s participation will enhance ISSF’s mission and provide valuable insight as we continue to implement our 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.”

Dr. Martin Tsamenyi is Professor of Law and was the former Director of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Dr. Tsamenyi is a world-recognized expert in the Law of the Sea, oceans policy, marine environmental law, and fisheries law and policy. Dr. Tsamenyi has served as fisheries law advisor to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and legal counsel to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and was Chairman of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). He has also been a consultant to several inter-governmental organizations and governments around the world. In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for service to maritime and fisheries law in the Asia Pacific region, through the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, and to legal education.” Dr. Tsamenyi has provided advice and drafted legislation for a number of countries to combat IUU fishing and take corrective measures in the context of the European Commission’s IUU yellow card identifications, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. Dr. Tsamenyi holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Ghana and Master of International Law and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Australian National University.

“Adopting sound, science-based policy is the best way for sustainability improvements to be made on the water,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Professor Tsamenyi is uniquely able to help ISSF identify both policy gaps and solutions that our organization can address. His experience in policy and law related to highly migratory species, and on-the-ground IUU efforts make him a valuable addition to the Board.”

Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo is Director of the WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative, which brings together 8 WWF Offices towards a joint conservation effort. He is responsible for supporting Mediterranean countries to achieve key conservation and management targets, specifically on fisheries and MPAs. Since 2008, Dr. Di Carlo has been involved in developing and implementing ecosystem-based based management into conservation strategies. While working at Conservation International from 2008 to 2011, Dr. Di Carlo provided support to several country programs around the world, from East Africa to South East Asia, Madagascar and the Mediterranean. After completing his Ph.D. in marine science, Dr. Di Carlo worked as a research scientist at NOAA in the US focusing on coastal marine ecosystems and their adaptive response to disturbance, with special attention to global issues such as climate change, on which he has published extensively. Dr. Di Carlo was President of the World Seagrass Association between 2010 and 2014. From 2012 to 2018, Dr. Di Carlo was a Member of the Board of Directors of MedPAN, the Mediterranean Network of MPA managers. He is part of WWF’s Ocean Leadership Group which sets the organization agenda and goals on ocean protection. He represents WWF in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

“Being that we’re already so familiar with his years of work for our founding partners at WWF, we’re extremely excited to bring Dr. Di Carlo onto the ISSF Board of Directors,” said Vice President of Science at ISSF Dr. Victor Restrepo. “Dr. Di Carlo has truly impressive science and research bona fides, and he is aligned with ISSF’s science-first principles.”

Alfred Schumm, the former Director of the WWF Global Fisheries Programme and now Director of Innovation, Sciences, Technologies and Solutions at WWF, will be stepping down from the ISSF Board after serving ISSF for over eight years.

“Alfred’s departure from the board is bittersweet. We’re thrilled that he has an opportunity to pursue new avenues at WWF, but his insight and expertise with regards to biology and conservation will be greatly missed here on the ISSF board,” said ISSF Board Chair Luciano Pirovano. “Alfred has played a critical role in ISSF’s growth and triumphs over the better part of a decade and we wish him continued success in his new role at WWF.”

Read the full release here

MSC addresses forced labor, process issues in standards update

August 31, 2018 — The Marine Stewardship Council has announced an overhaul of its certification process after a review that lasted more than two years.

The changes include a new requirement that MSC-certified fisheries declare they are free from forced labor and child labor, and changes to the timeline of both when stakeholder input is accepted and to the dispute resolution process between parties seeking an MSC certification and those who have objections to an individual certification.

MSC Fisheries Standard Director Rohan Currey said introduction of updates to MSC’s Fisheries Certification Process and General Certification Requirements came after an organizational review that began in late 2015.

“The Marine Stewardship Council is a listening organisation and this review began in response to feedback from partners and stakeholders on the complexity of the assessment process and the resources required to engage with it,” Currey said. “To address this feedback, we aimed to reduce complexity and increase effectiveness of stakeholder engagement whilst maintaining the credibility and robustness of the whole process.”

Most prominent among the changes is MSC’s new requirement that by 31 August, 2019, all fisheries in the MSC program must complete and submit a Certificate Holder Forced and Child Labour Policies, Practices, and Measures, detailing the measures they have in place to mitigate the presence of forced or child labor. If the deadline is not met, the fishery will no longer be eligible for certification and any existing fishery certificates it has from the MSC will be suspended.  Fishing and supply chain companies and their subcontractors that have been successfully prosecuted for forced labor violations will not be eligible to participate in the MSC program for two years after their conviction.

Read the full story at Seafood Source