Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the Alaska pollock fishery met or exceeded the MSC standard. The APA member
companies agreed to support Unilever's request that the association submit the
Alaska pollock fishery for assessment, and in January 2001, APA informed the
MSC that the Alaska pollock fishery was entering full MSC assessment.
In moving ahead to meet the clear interest in MSC-certified seafood in the market-
place, APA also believed that certification could help defend against any perceived
shortcomings in the management of the fishery resulting from ongoing litigation
between several US NGOs and the US government over protection of endangered
Steller sea lion populations. In April 1998, Greenpeace, American Oceans Cam-
paign and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit contending that the Alaska pollock fishery
was adversely affecting Steller sea lion populations, which were classified as en-
dangered under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1997. The plaintiffs'
principal contention was that fishing for Alaska pollock was concentrated in time
and area, and creating food competition with foraging sea lions (Greenpeace v
NMFS 1998). During the course of the litigation, the NGOs sought significant re-
strictions to be placed on the fishery beyond the precautionary measures adopted
by the fishery managers. The NGOs' position garnered some media coverage, par-
ticularly regionally, when a US District Court judge issued an injunction against
pollock fishing in Steller sea lion critical habitat until federal fishery managers sub-
mitted an adequate biological opinion on the effects of the fishery as required under
the Endangered Species Act. Since an essential component of MSC certification is
an assessment of the fishery's impact on the environment, APA considered that a
third-party validation of the fishery would be important in addressing any public
concerns about the Alaska pollock fishery and sea lions.
13.3
The Alaska pollock fishery
As noted above, the Alaska pollock fishery is the largest US fishery, and it is the
world's largest whitefish fishery (Figure 13.2). Annual landings in the US BS/AI
fishery have ranged from 900 000 t to nearly 1.5 million t over the past 30 years
(NMFS 2006c). Annual catches in the GOA pollock fishery over the past 30 years
have averaged 109 905 t (NMFS 2006d). Fishery scientists conduct annual bottom
trawl stock assessment surveys and biennial echo-integration trawl surveys to de-
termine the size and the age composition of the stocks. Extensive fishery survey
research and the collection of fishery-dependent data through a comprehensive on-
board federal fishery observer programme provide the data for a sophisticated stock
assessment modelling programme. This is used to determine stock size, age com-
position and other key variables for recommending precautionary harvest levels.
Federal fishery managers set catch limits annually for all managed species at or
below the level of the acceptable biological catch which is recommended by fish-
ery scientists. Catch limits are enforced through a comprehensive fishery observer
programme. The fishery observers record the catch both at-sea on the processing
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