Certification, Product Labeling and Consumer Action CENV 110

Why certification, labeling and consumer advice? To apply economic pressure to unsustainable or problem fisheries To provide guidance to consumers about ecologically sound choices

Consumer advice Marine Conservation Society (MCS), Fishonline website and Good Fish Guide (UK and Northeast Atlantic) The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (recommendations) Greenpeace: International Seafood Red list Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) produces Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, Best Fish Guide The Blue Ocean Institute Seafood Guide, Audubon Society's National Seafood Wallet Card (USA) Monterey Fish Market Seafood advisory list (West Coast, USA) Canada’s Seafood Guide (SeaChoice), initiative of Sustainable Seafood Canada [4] The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) Consumer Guide To Prawns

Dolphin-safe tuna Purse seining for tuna in the eastern Pacific killed hundreds of thousands of dolphins Because of public outcry (and a video) public pressure was put on the fishery to reduce dolphin mortality Congress passed a 1990 act to assure that the only tuna entering the US had not been caught in such a way that killed dolphins Fishermen figured out how to catch tuna without killing dolphins

Dolphin-safe II On way of avoiding dolphins is to fish on floating objects, this has caused lots of by-catch problems Key lessons: fishermen given the incentives will find a way to avoid the by-catch But this may lead to unexpected problems

Certification Product safety –Underwriters laboratory 1894 electrical products Food safety –U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest products –Forest Stewardship Council –is an international not for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. Its main tools for achieving this are standard setting, certification and labeling of forest products. The organization aims to "provide businesses and consumers with a [...] tool to influence how forests worldwide are managed

The Marine Stewardship Council Established in 1997 by World Wildlife Fund and Unilever Established a formal certification procedure –For fisheries –For chain-of-custody

Principle 1 The condition of the fish stocks This examines if there are enough fish to ensure that the fishery is sustainable. Principle 2 The impact of the fishery on the marine environment This examines the effect that fishing has on the immediate marine environment including other non-target fish species, marine mammals and seabirds. Principle 3 The fishery management systems This principle evaluates the rules and procedures that are in place, as well as how they are implemented, to maintain a sustainable fishery and to ensure that the impact on the marine environment is minimised. Principles for fishery certification

Fishery certification process Fishery applies for certification to MSC Independent certification body –Forms panel of experts –Develops fishery specific rating system –Evaluates the fishery and makes recommendation re certification and conditions –Has report peer reviewed MSC makes certification decision Objections may be filed Objections panel reviews objections MSC Board makes final choice

Who is the MSC board Dr. Werner Keine – Chair former World ban, World Food Program Jeff Davis – American Seafoods (big Seattle based company) Dr. Chris Zimmerman: Scientist from Europe Christine Penny Clearwater Seafoods Alfred Schumm WWF Herve Gomichon: Carrefour (French retail company) Ichiro Nomura (former FAO Fisheries director) Judith Batchelar Sainsbury’s (UK retailer) Leiv Gronnevet (Aker Seafoods) Several others from retail, industry and NGO

Fisheries in MSC 345: Fisheries engaged in the MSC program, 243: Certified fisheries, 102: Fisheries in assessment Another 40 to 50 fisheries are in confidential pre-assessment. Together, fisheries already certified or in full assessment record annual catches of around 10 million metric tonnes of seafood. This represents over 10% of the annual global harvest of wild capture fisheries. The fisheries already certified catch over 8 million metric tonnes of seafood. This is over 9% of the total wild capture harvest.

Issues/debates in certification Desire to have competing standards Desire of eNGO’s to raise the bar Applicability to small scale fisheries

Does certification really work The impact is very different in different places Europe and North America it is growing in recognition In Asia little impact as yet

Some controversies eNGO’s believe the standard is too flexible and strongly objected to Patagonian toothfish being certified Some certified fisheries objected to some of their competitors being certified (Russian pollock) Alaska salmon left the MSC program –They believe they set the standard and don’t need MSC to validate their management

Is it a protection racket?

The orange roughy story

Why certification, labeling and consumer advice? Surveys show that very few consumers in the U.S. or Australia actually care To keep Greenpeace from picketing your stores

Monday speaker Jim Humphreys Jim joined the MSC in As fisheries director, he manages the MSC’s programs with a variety of fisheries groups in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Jim has a B.S. degree in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University and an M.S. degree in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Jim has 20 years experience working with Sea Grant Marine Advisory Programs in Michigan and Washington State, and with the seafood industry on the U.S. west coast, British Columbia and Alaska.

Monday speaker: Jim Gilmore Director of Public Affairs, At Sea Processors Association, (aka factory trawler fleet for pollock and hake)

Monday speaker Ken Kimble Ken Kimble is Costco Wholesale's Assistant General Merchandise Manager responsible for frozen foods merchandising in the United States. Costco is the second largest retailer in the US and the seventh largest in world. Ken began his career at Costco in 1990 as a computer programmer/analyst, then moved into Fresh Foods Merchandising four years later. He is responsible for the creation and evolution of Costco’s global seafood sustainability strategy. Ken received his BA in Information Systems from Washington State University in 1986 and EMBA from Seattle University in 2009.

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