Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Perplexed by SFP/Walmart Mixed Message on Sustainability SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [seafoodnews] Aug 7, 2013 This article was sent to us by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Association, who are perplexed as to why their efforts to make their fishery sustainable are reportedly being dismissed by buyers such as Walmart in favor of worse run fisheries, which have "Fishery Improvement Projects" in place. The late 1990’s were a tough time for crabbers and the crab resource in the eastern Bering Sea. As the race for fish intensified, the fishery was characterized by significant resource conservation and management concerns; excess harvesting and processing capacity and associated low economic returns; lack of stability for harvesters, processors, and crab-dependent Alaskan coastal communities; and high levels of occupational loss of life and injury. In an effort to address these problems, stakeholders active in the fishery came together to work on solutions. Over a six-year period, crab harvesters, processors, crab-dependent Alaskan communities, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the State of Alaska, and NOAA Fisheries worked collaboratively to develop what ultimately came to be known as the Crab Rationalization Program. Since implementation of the Rationalization program in 2005 and 2006, the situation in the fishery has improved beyond what anyone thought possible at the time. Through strict, science-based management, formerly overfished stocks such as the Bering Sea snow crab have been completely rebuilt and now support healthy and consistent harvests. Harvesting and processing capacity have been reduced to levels consistent with what the resource can sustainably support. Processors, vessel owners, captains, and crew are now earning consistently high rates of return rather than having to take the huge financial gamble characteristic of the pre-Rationalization fishery. Crab-dependent Alaskan communities now have protections in place that will ensure they will continue to share in the economic benefits generated by the fishery now and into the future. And most importantly, the fishery has shed its reputation as the “deadliest catch” and is now, statistically speaking, one of the safest fisheries in the United States. This comprehensive turnaround wasn’t driven by the involvement of a third party certification body or an NGO whose business model is built on strong-arming industry through “improvement projects.” The stakeholders themselves, with support from the state and Federal managers tasked with managing the fishery for the benefit of all citizens, drove this success story. These efforts were recently recognized by certification through the FAO-based Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification program and the designation of Alaskan snow crab as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. But make no mistake about it. Stakeholders in the fishery were not motivated by the lure of certification or earning high marks from the environmental community. They were motivated by the sincere desire to do the right thing and to ensure that the resource and the fishery would continue to exist for the benefit of current and future generations. That is the purest definition of sustainability. That is the type of effort a good corporate citizen should strive to support. Wal-Mart made its first commitment to sustainable seafood in 2006. By sourcing Alaskan snow crab, Wal-Mart has remained true to this commitment ever since. If the company is now re-thinking this commitment based on advice from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), the question must be asked: whose interest is SFP serving? It defies all logic and common sense that SFP has advised its client to abandon one of the world’s best-managed and most sustainable fisheries. To make matters worse, it appears they are also advising Wal-Mart to source product from Russia. SFP openly acknowledges the Russian fishery has virtually no effective management or enforcement capability in place and continues to be subject to rampant illegal fishing. The fact that the Russian fishery is “improving” under SFP’s revenue-generating supervision is irrelevant at this point in time. The Alaskan fishery is already sustainable and has been for quite some time. Russia on the other hand, has a long way to go. Where is the conservation benefit in this approach? And there lies the rub. The benefit SFP is seeking is to its own bottom line, pure and simple. SFP has created a problem where none existed and is now playing both of its clients for its own financial gain. If the rumors about Wal-Mart’s future sourcing practices are true, it’s a shame that responsible actions are being punished and piracy and bullying tactics are being rewarded. The only winner here will be SFP. (written by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Association) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Sackton, Editor And Publisher Seafood News 1-781-861-1441 Email comments to jsackton@seafood Copyright © 2013 Seafoodnews
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:19:21 +0000
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