The findings of an Independent Adjudicator in an objection procedure conducted as part of the Suriname Atlantic seabob shrimp fishery’s assessment against the MSC sustainability standard were issued this week.
Independent Adjudicator Melanie Carter confirmed that the fishery does meet all three principles of the MSC standard, as originally determined by Food Certification International Ltd.
This decision follows a two year scientific assessment of the fishery by FCI and a four month review of an objection, lodged by the World Wide Fund Smart Fishing Initiative, to the certifier’s finding that the fishery meets the MSC standard.
Following the adjudicator’s decision, the certifier will now submit the Final Certification Report to MSC concluding that the fishery should be awarded the MSC certificate.
In her findings Ms Carter addressed the objectors’ concern that the assessment had been based on a flawed stock definition and that the Suriname seabob stock could not be treated separately from the neighbouring Guyana stock. After careful consideration of all relevant submissions of the parties involved and the oral hearing, Ms Carter concluded that the certifier’s science-based working hypothesis of a distinct Surinamese stock had been a reasonable basis for the assessment. In the future, this stock hypothesis is to be kept under review as part of the annual audits.
A further ground for the objection was an apparent conflict of interest because two of the FCI assessment team members were believed to work, on occasion, for a consultancy which had assisted the fishery in the preparations for MSC assessment. The Independent Adjudicator decided that this was not the case.
Finally, the Independent Adjudicator also addressed objections that scores given by the certifier for several performance indicators could not be justified adequately. Taking into account all the evidence presented, Ms Carter decided not to remand any of the scorings for reconsideration by the certifier, concluding that the certifier’s scores formed a reasonable basis for the determination.
