The Marine Stewardship Council and Developing Countries - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 299

14.3.3 The certification process

The MSC certification was the result of an evaluation process that lasted almost 2
years and that started with an application prepared by SADSTIA. The overall cost
of fishery certification to the industry was US$100 000 in direct costs of certification
plus US$100-200 000 to meet conditions in the midterm (author's interviews). The
direct cost of certification has been paid by SADSTIA members in proportion to
the quota allocated to them.
The assessment conducted by the certification body resulted in a relatively high
score on stock management (88 points out of 100; the minimum pass is 80) - the
first of the three principles of the MSC standard. According to industry sources,
this was expected as there has been a relatively long history of proper monitoring of
the resource in South Africa. Only one condition was appended by the assessment
team - the development of a sampling programme to address deficiencies in un-
derstanding the variability of recruitment to the populations and the age structure
of both hake species ( Merluccius capensis and Merluccius paradoxus ) (Powers
et al . 2004). In relation to the second MSC principle (ecosystem impact), the South
African hake industry barely made the grade (score of 80 points). Gaps were identi-
fied in four areas: bycatch management, ecosystem relations, impact of trawling on
the benthic habitat and impact of trawling on seabird populations. The assessment
team required specific corrective actions for each area. In relation to the third MSC
principle (fishery management system), the industry's score was relatively high (88
points). The only condition placed was a review of the compliance system.
Despite the fact that the South African hake industry achieved certification, a
number of problematic issues remain: (1) the trawling sector has been certified,
but not the longlining sector, even though they exploit the same stock; (2) it is
not clear if the hake stock is shared with Namibia, which is not certified; and (3)
complaints have been raised about the relevance and rigidity of some indicators in
the MSC standard and the lack of participation by some segments of the industry
in the process.

14.3.4 Verification after certification
In 2005, the South African hake industry was subjected to the first surveillance
audit by the certifying team. This resulted in a report released in May 2005 (Tingley
et al . 2005) that covers progress in all the conditions that were set at the time of
certification. It is worth going into the details of some of these to understand what
it means to maintain compliance with the MSC standard.
Condition 1 refers to the claim that there are some bycatch species under pressure
from hake trawling. The condition demanded a management plan to be in place
within 12 months and its implementation soon thereafter. Disagreements within
the industry on a bycatch policy meant that it was not prepared in time for the first
surveillance visit by the certification team. Yet, the surveillance report noted that the
industry had made moves in that direction, and that implementation was expected to