Fishery Science & Seafood Sustainability Steve Cadrin (AIFRB) & Thor Lassen (Ocean Trust)

Science & Sustainability Forum Objectives 1.Review scientific information on sustainability, status and trends in fisheries 2.Enhance public awareness on the sustainable management of fisheries & seafood production 3.Introduce new assessments and tools to validate the sustainability of fisheries and seafood

Sustainability Standards Sustainability is the objective of fisheries management systems. – Well-developed management systems have effectively avoided overfishing and rebuilt many depleted stocks (with some exceptions). – Certifying the sustainability of well-developed management systems is relatively easy. Biomass Trends

Mis-Matched Standards Achieving sustainability requires collaboration, cooperation and ‘buy-in’ from stakeholders. Small-scale and coastal fisheries have extensive collaboration for confronting challenges and promoting solutions. However, many sustainability standards (National Standard 1 guidelines, eco-labeling criteria) are not suited for small-scale, coastal fisheries. Mismatched standards jeopardize all aspects of sustainability.

Catch-Based Sustainability Criteria Most US catch is commercial landings and is well accounted for. Commercial discards are well sampled in some areas and fisheries, but not others Recreational catch is moderately sampled. Catch from small-scale tropical fisheries are essentially unknown.

Best practice guidelines for sustainable fisheries were developed for information-rich, large-scale, commercial fisheries and target species. These standards are inappropriate and insufficient for data- limited, small-scale, recreational fisheries and bycatch species. Alternative standards are needed to achieve sustainability of small-scale and coastal fisheries. FAO guidelines for sustainable small-scale fisheries are much more appropriate (and effective?). Relative sustainability should be considered (e.g., comparison to other protein sources). Small-Scale & Coastal Fisheries

Sustainability Challenges Overfishing continues in some regions. In well-developed management systems, there is much more foregone yield from precaution than from overfishing.

Public Awareness Environmental groups invest $Millions per year in campaigns to promote conservation. Much of the publicity is misinformed and misleading.

Public Awareness Misinformation is costly for sustaining the human elements of sustainability and achieving sustainability solutions. Scientific information can correct misinformation. – The entire supply chain of seafood needs to invest in correcting misinformation. – More balanced, fact-based outreach can effectively counteract misinformation.

Conclusions Achieving sustainability requires a management system that balances conservation and utilization. – Promoting best practices will help to maintain and promote sustainability. – Marketing initiatives can help promote sustainability. – Alternative standards for small-scale, coastal fisheries are needed to achieve or maintain sustainability. – Relative sustainability should be considered in standards. An imbalanced agenda threatens the human aspects of sustainability. – Misinformation needs to be actively corrected. – The values of a seafood culture should balance the values of preservation and animal rights.

THANKS