Measuring the Success of Seafood Ecolabelling - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 211

global moves towards more integrated ecosystem-based management of the oceans,
has placed considerable further stress on the institutions traditionally involved with
fisheries management (Caddy & Seij 2005).
The obvious lesson that has to be learned from worldwide fisheries and the
related environmental issues is, in the lexicon of systems analysis, that the basic
model structure for fisheries management is inadequate. However, changing the
traditional models and paradigms means overcoming substantial vested interests
that operate to maintain the status quo . The institutional fragmentation, inertia
and conservatism in fisheries management and supporting research institutions
appears to be one of the major hurdles to be overcome in progressing towards
more sustainable fisheries through the integrated ecosystem-based management
of the oceans and their resources (Pew Oceans Commission 2003, US Oceans
Commission 2004).
Despite this uncertainty and inertia, there are five issues that most analysts agree
appear to plague the world's marine fisheries and aquaculture. They form the basis
for a developing recognition amongst scientists and policy makers that if these cen-
tral issues in the sustainability of marine fisheries and aquaculture can be resolved,
sustainability is more likely to be achieved (after Sinclair et al . 2002, Pikitch et al .
2004, US Oceans Commission 2004):
1. the condition and resilience of ocean ecosystems is maintained;

2. the risk of irreversible change to species and ecosystems is minimal;

3. long-term socio-economic benefits are obtained without compromising the con-

dition of ecosystems;

4. improved knowledge of ecosystem processes is used to better understand the

consequences of fishing; and

5. participatory and integrated spatial management arrangements are used to man-

age ocean ecosystems.

10.3 Assessing ecological sustainability

Given these five core issues of sustainability for fisheries and aquaculture, an as-
sessment of the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture ventures should involve
consideration of the impacts of the activities on the target species (the fish caught
or cultivated) as well as direct and indirect impacts on related ecosystems, habitats
and species. In addition to these ecological aspects, there are important aspects of
sustainability related to wealth generation and food security that should also be
involved with assessments of seafood sustainability (Leadbitter & Ward 2007), but
these are not considered further here.
A robust conceptual framework is needed that provides the context and link-
ages for the assessment of ecological sustainability, including the various scales
of space and time, otherwise assessments of fishery sustainability may prove to be
misleading. For example, can we be sure that any specific incentive or proposed