Market-Based Mechanisms – Improving Fisheries Management? - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 193

reducing the impacts of illegal fishing - illegal fishing may make legal fishing
unprofitable and put long-term sustainability at risk; and
opening new markets - changing tastes, affluence and consumer expectations
create new market opportunities that can be developed.
The non-government private sector has become increasingly involved in the cre-
ation of novel mechanisms for controlling demand and supply in favour of sus-
tainability. Although some mechanisms, such as community-based rules governing
fishing activities, have been around for decades, and some for centuries, the cre-
ation of long-distance supply chains has forced the development of some creative
initiatives. These include the establishment of collaboration mechanisms amongst
NGOs, labelling schemes, certification for traceability and other forms of sustain-
ability incentives.
9.5.1 Catch tracking and identification
One mechanism for controlling IUU fishing is to ensure that fish products properly
identify the species content and the area of production. Whilst there have been
widespread moves to address these needs for hygiene and food safety purposes
(see, e.g. OECD 2004), this has not been the case for catch control, although, as
mentioned above, some systems have been put in place by RFMOs. The threat
of IUU fishing to the economic health of legitimate fishing activities has been a
growing source of concern to some industry groups and, as a result of frustration
with the lack of government controls, alternative mechanisms for addressing urgent
issues have been developed.
Some seafood ecolabelling schemes (such as those discussed below) have catch
traceability incorporated as a central component of their system, to reassure cus-
tomers and ensure the integrity of their brands. The Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) requires those that use the MSC logo to have in place a chain-of-custody cer-
tificate to verify that the product bearing the logo has come from an MSC-certified
fishery. In the case of toothfish from the MSC-certified fishery around South Georgia
and the South Sandwich Islands, an auditable, non-government, traceability system
was created to provide assurance for consumers that the toothfish was supplied from
a legal and well-managed source.
Organisation for the promotion of responsible tuna fishing (OPRT)
The OPRT was established by tuna fishing interests in Japan in 2000 to address the
growth of trade in black market tuna and to provide a vehicle for reducing excess
capacity in tuna fleets (www.oprt.or.jp). The number of participating nations has
grown to nine and OPRT now also includes members from the post-harvest sector
and a consumer organisation. The OPRT has brokered agreements that have resulted
in the removal of thousands of tonnes of fishing capacity from participating fisheries.