MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

Q: What is the Marine Stewardship Council?

A: The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) started life in 1996 as a joint venture between the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever to provide market incentives to improving fisheries management and ensuring long-term sustainability of stocks. Now independent, the MSC has developed the concept of market incentives by recruiting end users (principally supermarkets) to support the MSC by using their purchasing power to persuade their suppliers to participate.

Q: How does MSC work?

A: The MSC program has established three main principles that fisheries must meet before they can be certified as sustainable. First, the fishery must be conducted in a way that does not take more fish than can be replenished naturally or kills other species through harmful fishing practices. Second, the fishery must operate in a manner that ensures the health and diversity of the marine ecosystem on which it depends. Finally, the fishery must respect local, national, and international laws and regulations governing responsible and sustainable fishing. Fisheries volunteer to be assessed by an independent, third-party certifier. If successful, companies that fish or sell fish from these sustainable fisheries will be able to carry the MSC logo on their products. Consumers will be able to buy clearly labelled products knowing that they come from sustainable sources.

Q: Why does the MSC matter to BC?

A: In September, 2000, the State of Alaska was successful in getting its entire salmon fishery certified under the MSC principles and criteria, giving it a tremendous competitive edge in some important markets. Major buyers of Canadian salmon are telling us that we must get certified or they will stop buying from us. At least C$20 million of canned salmon exports to Australia and New Zealand are directly at risk in 2001; even more in the UK. Loss of these markets would immediately impact the landed price for salmon in 2001, as well as the market price of fresh and frozen salmon.

Over the last five years, the BC salmon fishery has changed dramatically. The fleet is much smaller and a precautionary, conservation-based approach to management has transformed where, when and how we fish. We have become world leaders in the development of selective fishing techniques. The MSC offers a chance to demonstrate to our customers and the world that our fishery now conforms to a new, global conservation ethic that recognizes that over-exploitation and habitat loss threaten many of the world’s fish stocks. The changes that the industry has gone through have been painful, but we believe that those changes mean that the BC salmon fishery is now harvested and managed responsibly to safeguard the resource for future generations.

Q: How did Alaska get certified, especially since it intercepts Canadian coho?

A: The state of Alaska volunteered to be a test case for the MSC back in 1996. A team of experts looked at a range of issues—hatchery fish, mixed stock fisheries, subsistence salmon fishing, changes in ocean conditions, bycatch, recreational fisheries, interceptions, weak stocks and poor runs—in the process of evaluating whether the fishery is well managed.

The Summary Report on Certification of Commercial Salmon Fisheries in Alaska is available on the State of Alaska's web site (www.state.ak.us). This report, plus the specific set of indicators used to gauge performance (see "Alaska Salmon Performance" at www.msc.org), provides the details of Alaska's certification. The report also notes several requirements for continued certification, identifying time lines and objectives that Alaska must meet if it wishes to retain its status.

On the specific issue of coho interception the certifiers reported that "even though asked, none of the Canadian stakeholders provided supporting evidence that the often identified suspicions about problems in Alaska's interception fisheries were correct or founded." The certifiers also required that within two years Alaska must present an explanation of why it believes the stocks being co-managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty are considered sustainable.

Q: Why do we need the MSC when we all support the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing Operations?

A: The Code of Conduct is a good first step towards achieving MSC certification. But it is non-binding and does not really cover management of the fishery. Buyers are demanding the assurances provided by independent, third-party certification.

Q: How does the certification process work?

A: The first step is for a client to select a certifying company from a list approved by the MSC. The client can be the management agency, a group of interested parties, an association, or an individual company. The certifier and the client then work on the pre-assessment phase. During pre-assessment, the certifier and an expert evaluate the data provided by the client to assess whether a fishery is likely to be able to proceed to full certification. The two-person team looks at the range of management data, the gaps in it, and the issues that might hinder the application. At the end of the process, there is a clear indication of whether it is worthwhile to proceed.

Full certification involves a three-person evaluation team of experts and the certifier. The team reviews stock assessments, the impact the fishery has on the environment, and the system in place to manage the fishery, and scores all that information against the MSC principles and criteria. Its report is then peer-reviewed; after that, the team provides a decision as to whether the fishery will gain certification. This certification is often conditional—requiring that certain conditions be met in order not to maintain the designation.

Those two processes certify the fishery, but in order for end products to bear the MSC eco-label, the "chain of custody" through which fish move from the water to the point of sale also has to be certified. Establishing an MSC Chain of Custody requires that the certifier be able to establish that there are mechanisms throughout the chain for identifying all received resources or products from a certified source; that the seafood resource can be tracked through all processing steps for the explicit purpose of linking it back to its point of origin (the certified fishery); that there are output controls for properly identifying certified products being shipped to customers; and that there are appropriate controls for using the MSC label. Companies request and pay for Chain of Custody certification.

Q: How long does certification last?

A: MSC standards require regular monitoring inspections at least once a year, focusing on compliance with the requirements set forth in the summary report and continued conformity with the standards of certification. It is possible to lose certification if the specific requirements identified in the summary report have not been met within the agreed time frame. Re-evaluation occurs on a five-year cycle.

Q: How much does certification cost?

A: According to the MSC, pre-assessment for a fishery costs in the range of US $10-35,000, full assessment from US $25-150,000. Judging from the cost of pre-assessment, BC is likely to be at the higher end of the range. Led by the BC Salmon Marketing Council and Fisheries Renewal BC, both industry and government are contributing to the cost.

Q: Where is BC in the process?

A: Because of the marketing implications for the BC wild salmon fishery, the BC Salmon Marketing Council (which represents both harvesters and processors) has agreed to take on the initial role of client for pre-assessment. Working with an advisory committee, which includes harvesters, processors, labour and government, we have engaged Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as the Certifier. SCS has engaged LGL Ltd. of Sidney, BC to provide expert advice. Pre-assessment will look at the entire BC Salmon fishery, identify any barriers to certification, and provide an estimate of the cost of proceeding. The report is expected early this summer.

The Council will then have to consider the various options, the risks involved, the likely cost, and how--or whether--to proceed. It will consult widely on the next steps.

Q: Is it reasonable to think the BC salmon fishery will qualify?

A: The Council's intent is to push for coastwide certification of all species and all fisheries. A careful reading of the MSC principles and criteria suggests that there might be some issues for BC in the areas of interceptions, aboriginal fisheries, salmon aquaculture, recreational fisheries, habitat loss, and management data and philosophy. We will know much more about our chances for certification once the pre-assessment process is complete. When we have the report, we will consult with both harvesters and processors about next steps.

Q: Will DFO and the province cooperate?

A: The Deputy Minister of Fisheries & Oceans and the provincial Minister of Fisheries have both promised full cooperation to the industry. DFO has nominated a dedicated person to coordinate and access the information required. After all, it is DFO's management of the fishery that is being certified. A successful outcome would validate the changes over the last few years in the way the fishery is managed.

Q: How do I get more information?

A: The Council will be communicating with both harvesters and processors regularly throughout this process. However, if you are interested in learning more about the process, you could try the following Internet sites:

MSC: www.msc.org

State of Alaska: www.state.ak.us (click on "Fish and Game")

BCSMC: www.bcsalmon.ca