Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
protein. Fisheries in Mexico, Argentina and South Africa have been certified to the
MSC standard, but even so, the level of participation from countries in transition
and developing nations remains low. This is because there are several issues that
are perceived as barriers to their participation.
4.10.1
The GASSDD project
There are fisheries for key species in the developing world that will be challenging
to bring forward to MSC certification. These may be fisheries that, for example, do
not yet have the data and systems in place to be able to demonstrate that they meet
the MSC criteria, or that lack the capacity at the local level to fully engage in the
assessment process (see Chapter 8). To address some of these issues, the MSC is de-
veloping guidelines for the assessment of small-scale and data-deficient (GASSDD)
fisheries. The GASSDD project is currently the MSC's keystone initiative in the
developing world.
The MSC programme is designed to be accessible to all types of fisheries regard-
less of size, type or location. But many fisheries, mainly in developing countries and
particularly small-scale artisanal fisheries, may not have sufficient data to enable as-
sessments to be carried out against the MSC standard, as it is currently designed and
operated. A lack of data, however, does not necessarily imply a lack of knowledge
within the fishery or that the fishery is unsustainable. In order to find a way to allow
small-scale and data-deficient fisheries to enter the certification process, without
any loss of rigour in the assessment process, the MSC is developing guidelines to
assist certification bodies involved in assessing such fisheries.
A group of experts is working with the MSC to test and evaluate the use of various
qualitative methods in the assessment of small-scale and data-deficient fisheries and
to identify components that would lend themselves to use in MSC assessments for
such fisheries. This first phase of the project developed a risk-based framework
for fisheries assessment, and an interim guidance document was developed. The
robustness of this guidance document has, more recently, been tested in a series
of desktop audits and internal reviews. In 2007, this methodology will be piloted
with several small-scale and data-deficient fisheries in the developing world and
elsewhere.
Such initiatives hold great promise for increasing the involvement of developing
world fisheries in the MSC. However in order to maximise the benefits expected
from these initiatives, there is a need for more fisheries in developing countries
to be aware of and directly involved in the MSC. There is also a pressing need
to disseminate information on how the MSC programme works, the benefits of
certification and how stakeholders can engage in the MSC process. The MSC's
developing world programme works closely with WWF national offices in Africa,
Asia and South America to reach out to fisheries and increase knowledge of the
MSC programme and its potential value.
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