Certification and defining the Unit of Assessment

Transcription

1 Certification and defining the Unit of Assessment Martin Purves Managing Director International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) CLG meeting, London, 16 November 2017

2 unharmed. pressure and supporting healthier stocks. typically, one-by-one fisheries operate in coastal waters and are locally owned. Local resources support local businesses, instead of sending those economic benefits offshore. International Pole Line Foundation International Pole & Line Foundation

3 How is a Fishery Assessed? Three components of a Fishery or Unit of Certification (UoC): 1. Gear type (fishing method) 2. Target species 3. Area/Fleet/Vessels

4 The FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, on which the MSC standard is based, defines a Unit of Certification as follow: The unit of certification is the fishery for which ecolabelling certification is sought, as specified by the stakeholders who are seeking certification. The certification could encompass: the whole fishery, where a fishery refers to the activity of one particular gear-type or method leading to the harvest of one or more species; a subcomponent of a fishery, for example a national fleet fishing a shared stock; or several fisheries operating on the same resources. The stock under consideration exploited by this fishery (unit of certification) may be one or more biological stocks.

5 Techniques and methods are used interchangeably. No clear FAO definition for fishing method, but fishing techniques are listed at the following link on the FAO website:

6 For tuna fishing the FAO recognises the following fishing methods/techniques: 1. Industrial tuna longlining 2. Tuna drifting gillnet 3. Tuna handlining 4. Tuna longlining with small vessels 5. Tuna midwater pair trawling 6. Tuna pole and line fishing 7. Tuna purse seining 8. Tuna trap fishing 9. Tuna trolling lines

7 The target stock(s) combined with the fishing method/gear and practice (including vessel type/s) pursuing that stock, and any fleets, or groups of vessels, or individual fishing operators or other eligible fishers that are included in an MSC fishery assessment. In some fisheries, the UoA and UoC may be further defined based on the specific fishing seasons and/or areas that are included :

8 What are the implications when a CAB places all the focus on fishing practices and subdivides a fishery into sustainable and unsustainable compartments when it is assessed? Let s look at some examples

9 Example 1 The bottom trawler that fishes on vulnerable corals, but is certified A bottom trawl fishery is keen to obtain certification for their operations They do however sometimes deploy their nets on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) that contain deep water corals, making it difficult to become certified They do not want to give up this part of their fishing operation as it would impact on their profit margins When fishing on VMEs they use the same fishing gear, but employ different practices. They attach rock hoppers to their trawl net to fish on the hard ground and this also prevents damage to their fishing gear Their CAB advises them that they can be certified for their trawl sets when not fishing on VMEs as it is a different fishing practice.

10 Example 2 The tuna longliner using circle hooks on some sets On the same day, the same tuna longliner targets yellowfin tuna on the same fishing grounds They also use the same fishing gear, but they apply different practices on different sets On some sets they use circle hooks and avoid catching vulnerable turtle species On other sets they use J-hooks and catch turtles E. Gillman / NIMFS Some of their buyers demand sustainable, certified products, but others don t They obtain certification for their sets when using circle hooks and can now supply sustainable tuna to those markets that want it

11 Example 3 The toothfish longliner that catches seabirds On the same day, the same demersal longliner targets Patagonian toothfish on the same fishing grounds They also use the same fishing gear, but they apply different practices on different sets On some sets they attach line weights to avoid catching vulnerable seabird species On other sets they remove the line weights to increase their catch rates BirdLife COLTO Unfortunately hundreds of seabirds are killed during their fishing operations They do however obtain certification for their sets when using line weights and can supply sustainable toothfish to markets that demand it

12 Example 4 The FAD-free purse seiner that also fishes on FADs On the same day, the same purse seiner targets the same tuna species, using the same fishing gear in the same area, sometimes on FADs and sometimes not Only the part of the catch is certified when they don t fish on FADs (so-called FAD-free tuna) There are no conditions raised on their fishing operations when fishing on FADs and there is no expectation that they reduce their FAD fishing activities During the lifetime of their certification their catches of IUCN red-listed silky sharks could double without there being any repercussions for their certification Island Conservation Society FADIO/IRD-Ifremer F. Forget, ISSF

13 Summary 1. View fisheries more holistically do not define UoAs based on differences in practices only 2. Apply the precautionary approach throughout assessments 3. Beware of perverse incentives sustainable subsidising unsustainable operations 4. Ensure fisheries assessments are fair and equitable - SDGs and other international instruments require equitable market access for small-scale fisheries 5. Uphold transparency of standards

14 Thanks!