St. John’s – The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for sustainability for 3Ps cod (caught off the south coast of Newfoundland), has been voluntarily suspended by the certificate holders in light of concerns of stock health based on the most recent science. In the interim, the fishery will implement an action plan that will serve to guide the fishery back to MSC certification.
The MSC maintains the leading global standard for third-party certification, recognized for its robustness, credibility and transparency. When the 3Ps cod fishery assessment to the MSC standard began in 2014, scientific information indicated the stock was healthy and growing. Subsequent to the assessment, changes in ecosystem conditions have led to an apparent rise in natural mortality beyond levels ever recorded. Although a 50% reduction in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) was recommended for the 2017 season by certificate holders, limitations of the assessment model prevent any determination of whether this will be sufficient to encourage the stock to grow.
“While recent recruitment of young fish has been above average, the reality is, the science now shows a concerning trend in the 3Ps cod stock. In fact, modelled estimates of total mortality have increased by over 65% since the initial assessment for certification.” explained Dr. Kris Vascotto, Executive Director of Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC), the industry association that will lead the fishery action plan on behalf of the MSC certificate holders. “We have great respect for the high standard of the MSC sustainability certification and therefore decided to voluntarily suspend our certificate and work on restorative actions with the intention to return this stock to the level of the MSC standard as soon as possible.”
Working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, GEAC will now redouble its focus and efforts on stock recovery and implement an action plan ensuring the fishery continues to comply with, and regularly report on, all conditions associated with the 2016 MSC certification. This will include improving the stock assessment model, gaining insight on the ecosystem drivers and exploring the role of discrete components in supporting the overall stock complex. The effort will be taken in consultation with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).
“This position is reflective of GEAC’s consistent approach to sound fisheries management,” observed Jim Cannon of SFP. “While the stock has shown high recruitment, changes in the marine environment have led to poor stock performance that has been unable to be addressed by the science. SFP is pleased to endorse GEAC moving forward with this action plan.”
“We commend the fishery’s decision to voluntarily suspend its MSC certificate and to concentrate their efforts on supporting research and rebuilding of the 3Ps cod stock,” added Dr. David Agnew, MSC Director of Science and Standards. “The decision is based on their own concerns with the recent stock assessment and shows how the MSC program is helping support a culture of responsible fisheries management in Canada and globally. We welcome the intention of the fishery to work on improvements, to report progress against them, and to re-enter certification when these improvements have been implemented.”
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Sarah Fleming
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