To mark 10 years since the first fishery entered its programme the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has published a new report: ‘Net Benefits: The first ten years of MSC certified sustainable fisheries’.
In fishers’ own words – a result of extensive interviews carried out by an independent journalist, ‘Net Benefits’ tells stories of socio-economic and environmental benefits of all 42 fisheries certified during the first 10 years of MSC certification. Together these fisheries supply close to four million metric tonnes of seafood to markets all over the world – over seven per cent of the total global capture production for direct human consumption.
According to the account of one fisherman in Europe, where most herring fisheries are now involved at some stage of the MSC assessment process, the critical mass of these combined fisheries has changed the mood of EU fishing negotiations. Quotas and other business are now handled in a more science-based and precautionary way, and with the on-going assessment in mind.
Most fisheries also report some kind of economic benefits. These range from the maintenance of existing markets; more stable prices; and in some cases price premiums of up to 25%. Interestingly it seems to be the smaller, more traditionally operating community based fisheries that report the biggest price premiums.
Examples further include the New Zealand hoki fishery, which as a condition of certification has rebuilt stocks to a level well above maximum sustainable yield; the South Africa hake fishery, which was required to investigate and then reduce seabird mortality – the fishery’s approach was considered exemplary by the government and the measures it took are now mandatory for all trawling vessels in South Africa.
