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Small pelagic catch landing. (Photo: NOAA)
Reduction fisheries show imporvement, according to SFP's report
UNITED STATES
Thursday, October 19, 2017, 00:30 (GMT + 9)
The annual report that Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has released shows big improvements in sustainable management of fisheries used for fishmeal and fish oil.
The document, called Reduction Fisheries: SFP Fisheries Sustainability Overview 2017, concludes that for the 20 stocks analyzed in 2017, 2.2 per cent of the total catch volume of the reduction fisheries comes from stocks in very good condition.
In addition, more than three quarters (81 per cent) of the total catch volume in this analysis comes from stocks that are reasonably well managed or better, which compares to 57.4 per cent last year.
On the other hand, 17 per cent (1.7 million tonnes) of the total catch for reduction purposes comes from poorly managed fisheries, a significant drop compared to 42.6 per cent last year.
Out of the 20 stocks of this overview, 10 have fisheries that are already covered by the MSC program, 19 have fisheries that are covered by the IFFO Responsible Sourcing certification, and three are covered by fishery improvement projects (FIPs) that are making good progress.
According to the available estimates, more than two thirds of the production covered in this overview come from fisheries that are MSC certified or under full assessment (25 per cent), or in a FIP that is making good progress (44 per cent).
Furthermore, there have been important fishery improvement projects launched in the past year for reduction fisheries — particularly for Peruvian anchovy (north-central stock) and Mauritanian small pelagic species.
The report reveals that the situation is still far from satisfactory in Asia, where a substantial amount of fishmeal comes from mixed trawl fisheries. These fisheries are poorly documented and managed, showing a clear need for industry to play a role in supporting fishery improvement projects in this region to ensure that eventually all fishmeal and fish oil are derived from sustainably managed fisheries.
SFP's analysis shows that the aquaculture feed industry has played an important role in promoting improvement through its support for fishery improvement projects. The fishmeal and fish oil sector has also played a strong role in promoting more responsible management of reduction fisheries.
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media
Photo Courtesy of FIS Member  NOAA/NMFSborrar
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