Market-Based Mechanisms – Improving Fisheries Management? - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 195

the very limited record-keeping in many of the nations hosting this form of fishing,
has made control, even via trade measures, almost impossible. Concern over this
trade has resulted in collaboration between government agencies (Queensland De-
partment of Primary Industries), a regional management organisation (Secretariat
of the Pacific Community) and environment groups (International Marinelife Al-
liance and The Nature Conservancy) (Sadovy et al . 2003). This coalition may be
the first step towards a multilateral agreement that results in the legal and admin-
istrative measures, possibly including ecolabelling, that are required to properly
control trade and conserve affected fish stocks.

9.5.2 Marketplace identification and the role of consumers

Although it has been in use for decades, ecolabelling was formally recognised as
a valuable tool in natural resource management at the World Summit in Brazil
in 1992. Market-based incentives for environmentally beneficial behaviour were
seen as making a potentially important contribution to the push for sustainable
development (Wessells et al . 2001).
The potential value of ecolabelling relies on there being sufficient numbers of
well-informed and motivated consumers who are prepared to actively select ecola-
belled products in preference to others. Surveys in a number of countries (see, e.g.,
Aslin & Byron 2003, for Australia) reveal concern amongst the public about the
status of fisheries and a stated preference for products bearing an ecolabel (and see
Chapter 2).

Wild-harvest labels

The number of ecolabels for wild-harvest fisheries remains small but is slowly in-
creasing. The oldest and best known is the Dolphin Friendly logo that was created
by a US-based environment group, Earth Island Institute (EII), to identify tunas
which had been taken without harm to dolphins (Teisl et al . 2002, Brown 2005).
This system is global in scope but a regional label, created by governments in-
volved in tuna fisheries in the eastern tropical Pacific, has been launched in recent
years (www.iattc.org/IDCPEWG.htm). The Agreement on the International Dol-
phin Conservation Program (AIDCP) has a different standard to that operated by
the EII. There is also a 'Flipper Seal of Approval' programme operated by the US-
based wildlife conservation group Earthtrust. This programme (involving a number
of employees of the EII) claims a greater emphasis on saving dolphins than merely
being 'dolphin safe' (and see Chapter 10).
Other species/issue-specific programmes include the Turtle Safe Label, also cre-
ated by the EII, which was designed to identify prawns (shrimp) that have been taken
by trawlers that use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in their nets. This label was dis-
continued in 2001 due to funding problems. In 2003 a Sturgeon Stewardship Council
(SSC) was created by the caviar industry and the International Wildlife Management