barents sea cod
fishery improvement partnership
Our Fisheries Improvement Partnership for this major fishery evaluated its management based largely on data from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES). We identified the following areas of mutual concern:
- Illegal landings of 166,000 metric tons in 2005 pushed the total harvest 35 percent above quota.
- These illegal landings undermine management. ICES observed that illegal fishing on this scale renders the fishery’s harvest rule ineffective to the point that, over time, “it is unlikely that the rule itself can protect the stock and future fisheries.”
- The persistence of extensive over-quota fishing also reveals additional weaknesses in governance. These include shortcomings in monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement, loopholes in catch documentation, reporting failures by nations that import products of the fishery, and other vulnerabilities.
Seafood purchasing companies and the governments of Norway and Russia and the EU have already taken steps to remedy weaknesses in post-harvest tracking of the catch, including virtual elimination of difficult-to-trace reefer vessels flying flags of convenience, commitments to import cod products only through reporting ports; and efforts to verify legality of cod products before buying.
In addition to these initial measures, we recommended the following actions:
- Design supplier contracts to ensure that raw materials are sourced only from the legal catch – with reliable auditing by independent third parties – and to ensure that the terms are feasible for fishers and raw material supplies.
- Maximize the industry-wide use of these contracts as a tool to eliminate illegal fish from supply chains.
- Implement a real-time fish purchases reporting system to help block market access for illegally caught fish.
- Lobby for stronger monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement in the Barents Sea. While private actions by seafood companies can help to stanch demand for illegally caught cod, government action on this problem is necessary to ensure their success.
November 2007 Update
SFP helped seven major buyers send a letter to the Norwegian government seeking more effective ways to identify vessels fishing illegally, and advised Esperen and other companies on the design of an industry-wide standard supplier contract. Following the adoption of the contract, official figures estimated illegal catches of cod and haddock were reduced by 23% and 55% respectively. In October, SFP met with leading companies to discuss future work and formalize the Fishery Improvement Partnership.