WWF - News on Community Fisheries

Fishing for their future

2012-12-20

In the face of large-scale commercial fishing and depleted stocks, the handline tuna fishermen of Lagonoy Bay in the Philippines can still dream of a better life, thanks to institutionalized support for their traditional ways.

It wasn't always so difficult to be a fisherman, recalls Loreto Bollosa, 54, a tuna fisherman from Barangay (village) Fatima in Tabaco, Albay in the Philippines' southern Bicol province.

He has been fishing in the waters of Bicol's Lagonoy Gulf since he was seven years old, Bollosa says, inheriting the livelihood from his father. "This is the life into which I was born," he says in Pilipino, the national language. The difference, however, is that Bollosa is not passing on the fisherman's life to any of the five sons among his nine children. "It's a hard life, especially now. That's why I worked to be able to send them to school, so they don't have to endure what I did."

The tuna has always been there, and time was when the catch was abundant, he says. Then the catch declined, for several reasons, first and foremost being the rampant illegal fishing in the area, including dynamite, cyanide, and compressor fishing. Then, the big commercial fishing boats began showing up in the '90s, and would often violate ordinances banning them from the locality's municipal waters, providing artisanal handline fishermen like Bollosa with stiff competition. "Sometimes, just going out to fish, you're already losing money," he recalls. "You're not sure if you'll catch anything, and you're already spending for gasoline. I would worry about that all the time."

Now, Bollosa can worry a little less, not just because his children are almost done with their schooling, but because support has come in the form of a partnership among the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), local government, and private funders who are investing in Lagonoy Gulf's fisheries to develop a new source of tuna, a globally prized marine resource. In the process, handline fishermen are getting a boost to their livelihood, as well as institutionalized encouragement to carry on with their traditional sustainable ways.

Tabaco City and the neighboring municipality of Tiwi are project sites for the Partnership Programme Towards Sustainable Tuna (PPTST), a collaboration established in 2011 among WWF and private partners under the WWF Coral Triangle Programme and focusing on tuna fishery improvement in the Lagonoy Gulf, which covers Tiwi's coastal waters. The project is funded by the German Investment and Development Agency (DEG), with support from Bell Seafood, Coop Switzerland, and Sea Fresh.

"This is a market-driven approach to fisheries management, looking at it from the perspective of the supply chain," says Coral Triangle Programme Tuna Strategy Leader Jose "Jingles" Ingles. "We're not just looking at the governance of fisheries on the ground and in the water, but we also solicit complementary help from the market forces to drive fisheries to become sustainable."

Ever since WWF came with their information and education campaigns, Bollosa says, "They were able to focus on us and train us to preserve the fish and keep its quality longer. Before, it was a matter of catching as much as you can, and not caring about other fishermen. It was like a competition. We should help each other, and look at what's best for everyone."

At the peak of the fishing season, the fishers of Tabaco and Tiwi can earn as much as 20,000 pesos (about US$480) a week, which they must manage prudently until the next abundant season. Fishermen like Andres Dacullo of Barangay Putsan in Tiwi take on other jobs to tide them over, like construction work. Ruben Botalon of Barangay San Roque in Tabaco plows the extra money he and his son Rico make from tuna fishing into the family's small sari-sari (sundries) store, stocked with basics like rice, canned goods, and even nylon string for handlines and bait for fishermen's hooks.

With his earnings, Bollosa built a small concrete house for his family, and established a small piggery in his backyard, managed by his wife Leonilda. Any extra money goes to buying pigs, which can sell at a hundred pesos a kilo; when a pig grows to 80 kg after about three months of care, the couple can sell it for 8,000 pesos. With only two children left without college educations, the Bollosas can breathe a little easier. "Now, when we're short, it's our kids working in Manila who send us money," Leonilda says.

Bollosa says that constant vigilance by the local Bantay Dagat (sea patrol) is essential to keep commercial fishermen out of Tabaco's waters. That's the job of Jose Condat, known as Manoy Joe (older brother Joe), 64, a fisherman from Barangay Putsan in Tiwi, Albay who works as a volunteer with the local Bantay Dagat.

A fisherman since 1963, Condat has seen first-hand how the entry of commercial fleets and the rise of illegal fishing have jeopardized local fishermen's livelihoods. "Before commercial fishing, there was a lot to catch," he recounts. "Then when they came, using cyanide and dynamite, the fish started dying. We couldn't do anything because we were not organized."

That's why Condat, who has seven children, and has also sent some of them to school in Manila with his earnings from tuna fishing, became active in such groups as the Lagonoy Gulf Small Fishermen Federation and the Small Fishermen's Association of Putsan, while serving as vice chairman of the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) organized by the local government. It's the Bantay Dagat's job to make sure unregistered fishermen and unlicensed boats stay out of Tiwi's waters.

He's doing all this mainly for his grandchildren, Manoy Joe says. "For now, at my age, I pray that I can stay strong longer so I can help more people and help improve fishermen's lives. That's why we work in the Bantay Dagat, even without a salary—so we can safeguard the sea's resources for the next generation."

Text by Alya Honasan

Another fisheries commission fails the tuna test

2010-12-11

Honolulu, Hawaii: The Commission responsible for managing tuna resources in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean has yet again failed to take any effective action to reduce the decline of valuable big eye and yellowfin tuna.

The failure, just weeks after the Atlantic tuna commission made only cosmetic cuts to Mediterranean bluefin tuna catch quotas, adding to increasing scepticism that the global system of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) can prevent the unsustainable plunder of the world's oceans.

The week long Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) annual meeting in Hawaii saw strong interventions from Japan and the EU on the urgent need to freeze fishing capacity of purse seine super fleets and fishing pressure on the most stressed tuna stocks, moves that won support from the US and some other powerful fishing states.

But the WCPFC ultimately stuck to the familiar course of throwing overboard the scientific advice, rejecting its own Scientific Committee's recommendation of an immediate 29 per cent reduction in the big eye tuna catch.

"Once again we see the WCPFC failing to hear their own scientific advice and condemning the region's most stressed tuna stocks to another year of overfishing," said Peter Trott, Fisheries Program Manager with WWF-Australia.

"I have never seen such strong support from the big fishing nations on the need to reduce pressure on big eye and other stressed stocks but this was still not enough to make any real progress on halting the decline of these species."

"absurd" conservation measure for striped marlin

There were some positives to emerge from the meeting, most significantly agreement to develop a shark research plan and introduce greater monitoring and reporting of shark catches. A conservation measure was also adopted for heavily fished Northern Bluefin tuna.

And the Commission agreed to finally go ahead with an independent review of its own performance, a commitment originally made years ago.

"This level of agreement on shark catch has been one of only a few progressive steps taken at this year's meeting and we hope it will help better inform, and stop the decline of key shark species within the region," Mr Trott said.

But the credibility of the WCPFC was further undermined with an absurd conservation measure for overfished striped marlin that according to the Commission's scientific advisor will allow the catch to increase.

"This level of agreement on shark catches has been one of only a few progressive steps taken at this years meeting and we hope it will help better inform, and stop the decline of key shark species within the region," Mr Trott said.

"The WCPFC meeting in Hawaii demonstrated that its most powerful fishing members are ringing the alarm bells of the regions tuna stocks, calling out for urgent action on its most critical issues," Mr Trott said.

"Unfortunately the Commission still lacks the teeth required to meet its responsibilities in terms of conservation and sustainability."

WWF is advocating consideration of new rights- basedmanagement frameworks, cuts to fishing effort from the industrial purse seine sector, care over initiatives that could largely have the effect of displacing rather than reducing fishing effort.

"Most importantly however, the WCPFC should take heed of its contribution to the failures of global fishing regulation and be prepared to set the example in terms of following the scientific advice," Mr Trott said.

For more information: Peter Trott, Fisheries Program Manager, WWF-Australia, +61 437 960 812, ptrott@wwf.org.au

WWF applauds new marine conservation push in coastal East Africa

2010-04-01

Nairobi, Kenya: Ministers and officials from ten countries and territories in East Africa yesterday endorsed or signed off on a potentially far-reaching protocol to protect East Africa's coastal and marine environment from land-based activities and pollution.

The new protocol - five years in the making - makes the western Indian Ocean the third marine area of the world to achieve a multilateral agreement to limit and control land-based impacts on the marine environment, after the Mediterranean (1980) and Wider Caribbean (1999).

The parties to the agreement are Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, which will be signing the protocol in the near future..

"This agreement comes at an opportune time, and will be assisting us with our initiatives in coast East Africa to save one of the few remaining areas of the world that are still unspoilt," said Dr Amani Ngusaru, head of WWF's Coastal East Africa Marine Programme.

"Over 60 million people in eastern and southern Africa live and depend on the goods and services provided by the coastal and marine ecosystems of coastal east Africa."

A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Study, Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of land-based sources and activities in the Western Indian Ocean Region estimates the economic value in the form of goods and services provided by marine habitats such as coastal and mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrass beds to be more than US$25 billion per year.

"However, the resources of coastal East Africa are coming more and more under threat from rapid population growth, increased resource exploitation, unplanned development and climate change," Dr Ngusaru said. "Burgeoning cities such as Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Durban are threatening the very resource base that sustains them.

"Countering these trends is complicated by a lack of capacity and effective legal instruments that governments can use to champion the protection of the marine environment."

The signing of the protocol followed nine demonstration projects focusing on dissemination of technologies and approaches for the sustainable management and protection of the marine ecosystems. These included wastewater management using advanced constructed wetlands in Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania and community-based resource management and eco-tourism demonstration projects in Comoros and Madagascar.

A waste management demonstration project and a soil erosion control, both using indigenous vegetation, were implemented in Mauritius.

The meeting of parties to the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region also endorsed a first ever Strategic Action Programme for marine protection in the area.

For further information:
Dr Amani Ngusaru,
Head of Marine Programme, WWF Coastal East Africa Network Initiative, ANgusaru@wwftz.org
+255 754 367362

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French Guiana set to tackle bycatch

2010-01-31

A new law requiring French Guianese shrimp fishers to use special devices that reduce unwanted fish catch will help better protect marine turtles and other vulnerable marine species in the region.

As of Jan. 1, the country's fishing fleet under the new law now has to use a device called the Trash and Turtle Excluder Device, or TTED, to limit accidental capture of larger marine species.

Widespread use of this device, which took three years to develop, will greatly reduce bycatch among shrimp trawlers. In French Guiana, tropical shrimp fisheries represent a major source of undesired bycatch. Without a bycatch reduction device in place, shrimp represents only 10 to 30 percent of the total catch, meaning the rest is made up of other marine species.

Nearly half of the world's recorded fish catch is unused, wasted or not accounted for, according to estimates in an April scientific paper co-authored by WWF. The paper, Defining and Estimating Global Marine Fisheries Bycatch, estimated that each year at least 38 million tonnes of fish, constituting at least 40 percent of what is taken from oceans by fishing activities, is unmanaged or unused and should be considered bycatch.

The TTED is an improvement of a previous device, the Turtle Excluder Device, that consists of a rigid grill inserted at a 45 degrees angle in the trawl with an opening toward the top or bottom. NOAA has documented in research a 97 percent reduction in marine turtle captures through using the device, and additional TED studies conducted internationally have shown a reduction in large marine organism bycatch of as much as 91 percent.

After three years of trials, a prototype combining the advantages of different systems was identified. This model, the TTED, offers numerous advantages, including a 25 to 40 percent reduction of fish bycatch.

In addition, the TTED reduces sorting time and risks of injury due to sharks and rays being caught. The new gear also improves the quality of shrimps, which are less likely to be crushed in the bottom of the trawl, and may also lead to a reduction in the amount of fuel consumed by the boats.

WWF will be talking about this successful project at the upcoming Seafood Summit in Paris, France, running from Jan. 31to Feb. 2.

The TTED is the culmination of years of research. With funding provided by the European Union and the DIREN (Regional Environmental Authorities), WWF commissioned a study from IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) to determine which selective gear was the most adapted to fishing conditions in French Guiana. These initial trials, conducted under experimental conditions, were carried out on board a shrimp trawler.

Following this work, shrimp industry's members expressed the need to continue these experiments and to become more involved in the project. In response, WWF and the CRPMEMG (French Guiana Regional Fishery and Ocean Farming Committee) began working in close collaboration in order to test and develop the best gear for the French Guiana fleet.

With technical support from NOAA and IFREMER, the CRPMEMG carried out numerous at sea trials in close collaboration with French Guiana fleets. Specific parameters where tested such as the shape and spacing between the bars of the selective grid. These trials allowed the fleets and the crews onboard the shrimp trawlers to understand the advantages of a more selective fishing gear and the benefits of using it in French Guiana.

Based on the results and the captains' recommendations, the CRPMEMG decided to make the use of this TTED system mandatory by January 2010, when the annual fishing licences are issued.

The TTED was developed by the CRPMEMG and fishermen with the assistance of NOAA, IFREMER, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Région Guyane, the European Fund for Fisheries (FEP) and the WWF.

Illegal fishing agreement to push pirates out of ports

2009-11-27

Rome, Italy – A new international agreement to better control vessels in the world's ports will cut off access to global markets for pirate fishers, responsible for fueling overfishing and the illegal seafood trade.

This week, states participating in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) adopted an agreement on port control of vessels engaged in fishing and fish trade, which will greatly reduce illegal fishing.

The new Binding International Agreement on Port State Control Measures to Combat, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (Port State Agreement) sets minimum standards for what every port state must do to prevent illegally caught fish from being offloaded and reaching global markets.

WWF applauds the FAO for ensuring that the Port State Agreement was successfully developed and adopted, and commends progressive member states such as Norway for encouraging the negotiation process for the past two years.

"The oceans are not a 'free-for-all.' This landmark agreement makes clear the responsibility of states to keep illegal fish from entering their ports;" said Miguel A. Jorge Director Marine Program at WWF International. "States serious about stamping out pirate fishing and preventing illegally caught seafood from reaching our dinner plates will sign on to this agreement quickly."

The Port State Agreement was opened for signature on Nov. 23 during the FAO Annual Conference in Rome. Currently, 11 states including the European Union, Chile, Indonesia, Norway and the United States have signed the new treaty, an important first step to become a party to the agreement. In order to enter into force, 25 states need to become parties to the Port State Agreement.

Illegal fishing is one of the largest causes of overfishing and threatens the livelihoods of legitimate fishers and coastal communities. Current estimated value of financial losses because of illegal fishing worldwide is estimated at USD 10 billion to USD 23 billion annually.

Atlantic bluefin trade ban now vital as tuna commission fails to take action again

2009-11-15

Porto de Galinhas, Brazil: The Atlantic tuna commission today came up with only inadequate or delayed actions to ensure the recovery of the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna, global conservation organization WWF warned today. Saving the tuna will now depend largely on an international trade ban due to be discussed in March.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas today endorsed a proposal from its chair, the EU, Japan, Morocco and Tunisia to drop the 2010 eastern bluefin quota from 19,500 tonnes to 13,500 tonnes, still far too high to enable stock recovery.

A key study presented to ICCAT in Recife showed even a strictly enforced 8,000-tonne quota would have only a 50 per cent chance of achieving a recovery in eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna by 2023 and another ICCAT study showed only a total fishing halt yielded significant chances of the bluefin population to recover enough to no longer qualify for high-level trade restrictions by 2019.

It is now more than ever necessary for member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to line up behind global trade restrictions on Atlantic bluefin tuna. CITES is to consider a Principality of Monaco proposal that bluefin be listed for the highest level of trade restrictions at a meeting in Doha next March.

"Today's outcome is entirely unscientific – and entirely unacceptable," said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. "This reduction of allowable catch is not based on any particular scientific advice to recover the stock with high probability – it is just an arbitrary political measure and only for one year. Now more than ever WWF sees a global trade ban as the only hope for Atlantic bluefin."

Dr Tudela said a new provision for a 2011 fishery closure if the fishery was detected as being at serious risk of collapse was difficult to reconcile with the scientific committee's recent data that the stocks are already at less than 10-15 per cent than unfished levels. "The trends for bluefin tuna are very clear and we need to act on the forward view rather than the rear mirror view to avoid collapse," Dr Tudela said.

WWF had lobbied the meeting for a fishing suspension and determined action against illegal fishing, estimated to considerably inflate the most recent (2008) catch estimates of 34,120 tonnes. During the Recife meeting almost all harvesting countries were formally identified by ICCAT for breaking its rules – like EU tuna fattening farms accepting fish without proper documentation.

The massive overcapacity of industrial fleets in the Mediterranean also continues to hamper conservation efforts, yet the problem remains insufficiently addressed by the tuna commission.

The season for industrial fishing for bluefin tuna with purse seine fleets was reduced from two months to one, but remains open during the peak of the spawning period of 15 May to 15 June when the tuna are most vulnerable. ICCAT also continued to ignore long-standing calls to establish sanctuaries in key bluefin tuna spawning grounds such as the Balearic Islands off Spain.

"Common sense says that a trade ban supported by a temporary fishing closure is currently what is needed for the recovery of Atlantic tuna," Dr Tudela said. "To close the fishery is what ICCAT needed to do to save the tuna and to save its own reputation."

Dr Tudela called on CITES member countries "not to be fooled by ICCAT's promises to save Atlantic bluefin tuna in the coming years. We have seen too many empty promises in ICCAT's forty years of not conserving tuna. The tuna commission has failed in the most crucial moment of its history – how can it be expected of anything better? Now is the time for action elsewhere".

Adding more fuel to the compelling case of ICCAT's overall failure, contracting parties endorsed a further two years of the use by Morocco of illegal driftnets to catch swordfish. The nets, known widely as 'walls of death', kill 4,000 dolphins and 25,000 sharks in Mediterranean waters every year.

Bans on driftnets are covered in a large array of international agreements dating back to 1992 and including the UN, ICCAT, the EU which is the main market for the Moroccan swordfish, and Morocco itself.

"This year all contracting parties talked of the need to restore ICCAT's credibility, and to do so they endorse the slaughter of 50,000 more sharks and 8,000 dolphins, violating UN resolutions? It is beyond belief, and is one more proof of the total dysfunction of ICCAT as a serious fisheries management organization," said Dr Tudela.

ICCAT was also unable to agree on substantial measures to protect vulnerable shark species.

World's largest fishery angles for sustainability

2009-09-03

Lima, Peru: Peruvian anchovy fishers – who pull in 10% of the total fish catch in the world – for the first time will be independently monitored, ensuring the sustainability of stocks.

Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is a major Peruvian export, with a value in excess of US$ 1.7 billion in 2008, equivalent to 70% of national fish exports for the entire country. In recent years, the government has gradually improved the management of anchovy stocks by creating standards and quotas, but this new monitoring system will greatly bolster those efforts.

The Peruvian government earlier this month signed an agreement which formalized the establishment of the first Peruvian Observatory to regulate its fishing industry, run by universities Cayetano Heredia and del Pacifico, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), WWF and the Instituto del Mar Peruano (IMARPE). This observatory aims to implement a monitoring system that will strengthen and complement the technical capabilities of the government to ensure sustainable management anchovy stocks.

"I'm sure that with this development we'll have the world's best fishery and not just the largest," said the Minister of Production of Peru, Dr. Mercedes Araoz.

By providing free access to fisheries data for the scientific community and, the general public, the new Observatory will better allow for the implementation and enforcement of the "maximum established catch per boat" set previously by the government. Furthermore, it will help to assess the potential impacts of industrial fisheries and recommend best practices and strengthen the sector to improve fisheries management, ensuring the resilience of the anchovy population and the sustainability of the marine ecosystem of Peru.

"This puts Peru at the forefront of the world's fisheries because it not only shares the information of the largest fishery on the planet, but it takes an important step towards sustainability and possible certification, and even generates inputs for the conservation of Humboldt's marine ecosystem facing climate change", said Michael Valqui, Director of WWF Peru's Marine Program.

In addition to driving this initiative with the del Pacifico and Cayetano Heredia local universities and TNC, WWF Peru is currently contributing to the design and implementation of the operating system of the Observatory which will eventually work as an online platform with accurate technical information on the implementation of quotas, seasons and other aspects relevant to this activity. Also, the group will work in coordination with IMARPE to ensure maximum benefit from this system that, since it addresses the issue of transparency in the fishing industry, constitutes a necessary step on the path towards an eventual certification of Peruvian anchovy fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Time to get serious for tuna nations

2009-06-28

San Sebastian, Spain: International tuna treaty parties have totally failed to come up with ways to cap fishing capacity, are mostly failing to follow the advice of their own scientists and are making only slow progress in reducing illegal fishing and overfishing and bycatch of other marine life, according to a new assessment by WWF.

Three scorecards, covering the management of fisheries, and performance in reducing illegal fishing and levels of bycatch, were issued as representatives of around 80 nations involved in the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) gathered in San Sebastian, Spain amid rising global awareness and concern on tuna.

WWF found that not one of the tuna RFMOs is doing a good job in any area. Most are making slow progress and have room for improvement, but some are falling way short in important areas.

In general terms, governments are performing most poorly in the area of conservation and management of tuna stocks, with little advance in the key area of addressing the size and capacity of the fleets chasing fewer and fewer fish.

All 23 identified, commercially exploited stocks of tuna are heavily fished, with at least nine classified as fully fished and a further four classified as overexploited or depleted. Three stocks are classified as Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, and three as Vulnerable to extinction.

"Our assessment shows a resource in trouble, fisheries in trouble and institutions in trouble," said Miguel Jorge, Marine Director at WWF International. "But we believe there is still time to protect key ocean ecosystems where tuna is a top predator, and conserve the fisheries and the communities that depend on them."

"We now have too much experience to ignore on how fast over-exploited fisheries collapse and how slowly, if at all, they recover. With Bluefin tuna none of the collapsed populations are recovering and the remaining populations are clearly heading towards collapse."

WWF will be asking the meeting to do more to prevent bycatch of turtles, sharks, juvenile tuna and other animals. Key measures will involve more effective regulation of the bycatch problem associated with the use of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs).

"We know enough right now for governments to immediately adopt and implement best-practices to avoid bycatch," said Jorge. "Even best-practices can be improved, so ongoing research and on-the-water trials are critical to bring bycatch as close to zero as possible."

WWF's assessment traced progress on key fisheries management measures since the first global meeting of governments involved in tuna fisheries, in Kobe, Japan in 2007. That meeting agreed on a 14 point action plan for all RFMOs.

"So far, we haven't seen much action," said Jorge.

"We know what needs to be done. What we would like to see from San Sebastian are clear sings that the community of tuna nations is setting up global consensus on real moves towards addressing the key issues of over-capacity and bycatch.

"We know it won't be easy, but there are no other choices."

WWF and GlobalGap partner a course to aquaculture certification

2009-06-24

WASHINGTON, DC and KOELN, GERMANY: Food standard certifier GLOBALGAP will offer an expansion to its program so aquaculture producers can be certified in one step for implementing practices that help ensure the production of safe food in conjunction with environmentally and socially responsible farming.

GLOBALGAP will do so by supplementing its existing food safety, environmental and social requirements with the metrics-based environmental and social standards under development by the Aquaculture Dialogues. The Dialogue standards are being created by approximately 2,000 producers, NGOs, scientists and other stakeholders from around the world. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) coordinates the Dialogue process.

"We are thrilled that GLOBALGAP will offer a voluntary add-on module to its existing standards," said WWF-US Aquaculture Program Managing Director Jose Villalon. "The Dialogue standards will add value to the GLOBALGAP program because they are metrics-based, which is the best way to accurately measure if aquaculture's impacts on the environment are minimized."

The Dialogue standards are being created by consensus through an open and transparent process that involves a broad and diverse group of stakeholders. The first set of standards – for tilapia – is expected to be completed in September 2009. Standards for 11 additional species will be finalized over the next year.

"This move is a win for producers because it will help streamline the certification process for them, by offering a one-stop shop audit using the high integrity of the GLOBALGAP system to provide an efficient and cost effective certification process," said GLOBALGAP Chairman Nigel Garbutt.

Robust standards

"It also is a win for retailers who would like to see a harmonization of the various certification programs on the market. This partnership is significantly different from other partnerships, because robust but separate standards are being offered in combination with each other."

The WWF/GLOBALGAP partnership, formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed today, is a means to certify producers prior to the creation of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in 2011. The ASC, a new independent organization, will be responsible for working with third party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the Dialogue standards. WWF and several other entities, including the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, are taking the lead in creating the ASC.

At the time of the establishment of the ASC, the boards of the ASC and GLOBALGAP will assess whether and how to continue the partnership.

The WWF/GLOBALGAP partnership is non-exclusive, which means other entities could certify producers who adopt the standards prior to the start-up of the ASC, as long as those entities meet the criteria for standards-holding entities established by WWF. All certification prior to the creation of the ASC will be business-to-business. The ASC certification will be business-to-consumer by providing a consumer label.

As part of this partnership, WWF will work with GLOBALGAP to create checklists, guidance documents and training materials for auditors who will certify aquaculture producers. This work will be completed by the end of 2009, when GLOBALGAP is expected to begin offering the new certification option to producers.

Leaders vow to protect Coral Triangle and its people

2009-05-15

Manado, Indonesia – Leaders of six Coral Triangle countries promised to take action to safeguard the world's richest marine resource and some 100 million people depending on it.

The announcement followed a recent WWF report which found that without action on climate change, coral reefs will disappear from the Coral Triangle by the end of the century, the ability of the region's coastal environments to feed people will decline by 80 per cent, and the livelihoods of around 120 million people will have been lost or severely impacted.

In a joint declaration, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste formally adopted one of the most comprehensive and specific plans for ocean conservation.

(C) Jikkie Jonkman / WWF-CANON - Wakatobi fishermen that go far out at sea, stay at night in a huma (bahasa name) for a rest and to dry their fish. Wakatobi Marine National Park (Gift to the Earth, part of 1,3 million hectares of Protected Areas set aside by Indonesia). Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

The declaration is an important signal for other leaders ahead of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December this year, when world leaders will gather to agree on a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

"WWF urges world leaders meeting in Copenhagen to support Coral Triangle countries in their efforts to protect their most vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change and the loss of food and livelihoods", said WWF Director General James Leape.

"Reaching a strong agreement on greenhouse gas reductions is critical as is robust support for regional adaptation. The transformational CTI Plan of Action provides a framework for engaging the private sector in adaptation through public private partnership", Mr. Leape added.

Covering only 2% of the world's ocean, the Coral Triangle contains 76% of all known coral species. It is also brimming with an extraordinary variety of fish due to this high coral diversity.

Over 120 million people directly depend on the bounty of these seas for their food and income. The value of fisheries, tourism and shoreline protection from coral reefs, mangroves and associated habitats is estimated at US$2.3 billion annually.

(C) Tantyo Baungun / WWF-CANON - A local fisherman displaying his catch. Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia
This area also supports the largest tuna fisheries in the world, which generate billions of dollars in global income every year. Healthy reef systems help buffer coastal communities from severe storms and tsunamis.

In the declaration, all six leaders also recognized the urgency of a strong climate change focus to this important Initiative.

The 10-year Regional CTI Plan of Action sets time-bound steps to address growing threats to the region's coral reefs, fisheries, mangroves, threatened species and other marine and coastal living resources.

It also recognizes the urgent need to address the poverty afflicting the people of the Coral Triangle countries, in particular the coastal communities, and to meet relevant internationally agreed development goals, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Protection of reefs and mangroves in the Coral Triangle will be vital to help people adapt to increasing storm severity, an effect of climate change.

These precious marine resources are threatened by overfishing, illegal fishing, unsustainable coastal development, pollution and climate change.

All these threats are leading to depleted fish stocks, large-scale loss of mangroves and degradation of coral reef systems.

(Left) (C) Cat Holloway / WWF-CANON - Giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta). Papua New Guinea

(Right) (C) Cat Holloway / WWF-CANON - Anthias schooling at soft coral. Swarms of anthias shelter near coral outcroppings and feed in the passing current. Fiji

"In 30 years of conservation work, I have never seen anything like this; six leaders signing a commitment to protect their marine resources for the well-being of their citizens and future generations," Conservation International's Chairman and CEO, Peter Seligmann said.

"We extend our deepest congratulations and commit to supporting these nations as they embark on this unprecedented global initiative to secure human livelihoods and adapt to climate change through the conservation of their individual and shared marine heritage."

TNC's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Roger Milliken Jr., said "we are inspired by the bold vision of the CTI and the significant commitments that the six leaders made today. Our continued engagement, building on nearly two decades of conservation in this region, with governments, regional institutions and local communities we hope will contribute to this extraordinary initiative for the benefit of nature and people living in this region and beyond. "

Honest EU analysis points to fisheries failure

2009-04-22

Brussels, Belgium – A "commendably honest" green paper on reform of European fisheries policy shows that radical reform of the policy and a serious commitment from governments is needed to save Europe's fish stocks and create a profitable fisheries sector, WWF said today.

The Green paper on the Reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy presented today by the European Commission is the product of an exhaustive inquiry into Europe's failing fisheries management, accused of allowing massive overfishing and wastage to continue.

"The Commission have produced an admirably honest critique of a dysfunctional fisheries policy. EU countries and the Commission have let the opportunity of the 2002 reform slip away and failed to deliver on what they signed up to," said Aaron McLoughlin, Head of European Marine Programme at WWF.

"They have failed our fisheries and failed our industry. But now they can no longer preach an agenda of reform and ignore their own words when hard choices need to be made."

At present in Europe, nearly two thirds of fish stocks are in decline – including some of the most popular species like cod, plaice and sole.

Mediterranean Bluefin tuna is probably the most visible example of misguided fisheries policy and practice, with a recent WWF analysis showing the population of breeding tunas will disappear by 2012 if current mismanagement of the fishery continues.

1 2
(C) Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock / WWF - 1) Northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in tuna ranching company's (Ecolo Fish) cages, Mediterranean Sea, Spain. 2) Fishermen's nets set out to corral Northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) during the migration, Mediterranean Sea.
WWF believes that reform to deliver a profitable and sustainable fisheries for Europe is possible.

"Long term management plans, that look ahead to future years' catches, show how leaving more fish in the sea today will increase profitability tomorrow," said McLoughlin.

"It is essential to de-politicize the setting of annual quotas. The successful fisheries of Alaska, New Zealand and Norway, where long term management plans for fish stocks are in place and the capacity of the fleet has been reduced, are good examples that could be replicated in Europe."

WWF urges European governments and the Commission to craft a new policy for European fisheries, and in the meanwhile, act for implementing control and enforcement to tackle illegal fishing and setting sustainable quotas for bluefin tuna and all commercial fish stocks in the North Sea and Baltic.

The Green paper opens a consultation with all involved parties that will last until 31 December 2009. Following the consultation, the EU Commission will present a proposal for a reformed policy that should be finally adopted in 2012 and enter into force in 2013.

Further information
Stefania Campogianni, Press Officer, WWF European Policy Office
Tel. +32 (0)2 743 88 15, Mob: (0)499 539736, email: scampogianni@wwfepo.org

Aaron Mc Loughlin, Head of European Marine Programme, WWF European Policy Office
Tel. +32 (0)2 740 09 24, Mob. +32 (0)472 94 83 17, email: AMcLoughlin@wwfepo.org

Farmed fish and shrimps need sustainability boost

2009-03-02

Aquaculture, revealed in a key UN analysis today to be the basis of all future growth in global seafood production, desparately needs to be put on a more sustainable basis, leading global environment organization WWF said today.

State of the World's Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008 (SOFIA 2008), released this morning by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that food supplies from aquaculture now equal those from ocean and freshwater capture fisheries. The report also documents a continuing drop-off in yields from the world's marine capture fisheries, with FAO saying "more closely controlled approaches to fisheries management" are needed.

"The dramatic growth in aquaculture makes it more and more urgent to ensure that aquaculture becomes more sustainable and that supplying the stock and the feed for fish farming becomes less of a burden on traditional fisheries," said Miguel Jorge, Director of WWF's Global Marine Programme.

"Coastal aquaculture must also stop making inroads into fish habitat such as mangrove areas, it must becomes less polluting and less of a disease risk and it must be carried out without making communities more vulnerable to natural disasters."

A series of Aquaculture Dialogues, coordinated by WWF and involving more than 2,000 farmers, NGOs and scientists are currently creating global standards to minimize the key environmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture.

Consideration is now being given to whether the standards – initially for the 12 species with the greatest economic and environmental impact – should be administered by a body similar to the Marine Stewardship Council, the leading sustainability certification scheme for marine capture fisheries.

SOFIA 2008 also recorded a rise to 80 per cent in the number of fisheries that are fully or over-exploited, adding yet more weight to predictions that collapsing fish stocks threaten food security in developing countries and the viability of fisheries and coastal communities across the world.

Long -promised action on trade, unsustainable fishing fleet subsidies and protection for marine resources has again been unforthcoming.

"Once again, the leading global fisheries analysis has come out to say the state of of the world's fisheries is worse than we thought it was," said Jorge.

"Indeed we and many other analysts believe that the real position of the oceans is much, much worse than the gloomy report from Rome this morning as little account of is taken of rampant illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

"Also, in many cases, even legal fishing quotas have no relationship to actual fish stocks. To take possibly the best known example, the legal quota of Mediterranean bluefin tuna is around twice what the scientists recommend and the illegal catch is equal to the already inflated legal quota."

WWF is calling urgently for fisheries to be managed in line with scientific advice, for more closed seasons and areas to allow stocks to recover, for massive reductions in bycatch and discards in fishing and for an end to the subsidies that distort the relationship between fishing effort and the fishing resource.

For further information:
Phil Dickie, WWF International News Editor, pdickie@wwfint.org, Ph +41 79 7031952

US blocks trawlers from following retreating Arctic ice

2009-02-05

Seattle, USA — Commercial fishing in US Arctic waters is to be banned at least until its effects are understood, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided today.

In the most powerful application yet of the precautionary principle to fisheries, the council said its prohibition should stay in force until impacts of commercial fishing in previously ice covered waters are fully understood.

"This is a courageous and ethical move by Alaska's fishermen," said Bill Fox, Vice President of Fisheries with WWF-US. WWF, along with other groups, has been lobbying for a ban on commercial fishing in the Arctic until a fisheries management plan for the region is developed.

"We do not know enough about the ecology of these areas to allow them to be fished commercially. Until we have that information in hand, we should not tamper with these vulnerable ecosystems, particularly at a time when climate change is already threatening them."

Council member Bill Tweit, of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said, "Traditional knowledge and the precautionary principle is applied here which is important in the scientific management of fisheries in the Arctic" while US State Dept Nicole Ricci described the decision as "a pioneering piece of domestic regulation which will provide international leadership for fisheries management in the Arctic"

The Arctic ice cover has been eroding rapidly over the past few years as a result of global climate change, with Arctic warming levels being about twice the global average.

Summer 2007 set a record for the minimum extent of arctic sea ice at 4.3 million square kilometers, with 2008 close behind. The summer ice cover has fallen by more than 40% from the 1980s, opening around 1.3 million square kilometres of the Arctic to fishing, oil exploration and shipping.

Arctic ecosystems are considered extremely fragile and slow to recover from disruptions or damage. Fish stocks are particularly sensitive to ocean temperatures with even small changes resulting extremely unpredictable shifts in the locations and productivity of the stocks and even a small commercial fishery in the Arctic could have substantial impacts.

Also uncovered by the retreating ice are significant gaps in regulatory cover over the national and international waters of the Arctic. Welcome as the new US moves are, they apply to only a small proportion of Arctic waters.

"We urge other Arctic countries to follow the lead of the US," said Fox. "Many of the fish stocks and other elements of the marine ecosystem cross more than one country's jurisdiction and while the US move is helpful, it is not sufficient unless other Arctic nations take similar steps.

"This is a perfect example of why the Arctic needs a better legal and regulatory framework so that we can take coordinated steps to protect both the environment and the welfare of Arctic communities."

Kodiak fisherman and council member Duncan Fields said he had "been persuaded to support this plan by testimony from those in Western Alaska. I've also been informed and persuaded by the tremendous voices in the environmental community and the many faces who contributed from their organizations".

End of the line at famed film festival

2009-01-19

Audiences at the famous Sundance film festival are being treated to the world premiere of a new movie highlighting the parlous state of the world's oceans. The End of the Line, a feature length documentary made with the support of WWF, has its first showing in the World Cinema Documentary competition today (Monday 19th Jan).

The film – based on the book of the same name by UK environment journalist Charles Clover – calls for networks of marine protected areas, well-managed fishing and sustainable seafood as key solutions to restoring our oceans' health and bounty. Along with several other NGOs, WWF contributed to the film both financially and with expert advice.

The End of the Line points the finger at over-fishing as one of the main reasons behind the current state of our marine environment. WWF International's Director of Marine Programme, Miguel Jorge, agrees. "Overfishing is the single biggest immediate threat to our oceans, and the film highlights some of the most conspicuous examples of excessive exploitation of marine resources, such as the decimation of bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean."

"It is important to note that there are many within the fishing and seafood sectors working hard to fish responsibly and supply consumers with healthy seafood that is good for the oceans and WWF is committed to working openly with these proactive, progressive players."

WWF works with seafood industry leaders - from farmers and fishermen to buyers - and governments to improve the management of the world's fisheries, secure seafood from sustainable sources, create standards for certifying seafood products, and responsibly meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainable seafood.

After it's Sundance premiere, the film's producers are hoping for a global cinema distribution deal.

Tuna commission comes up with "a disgrace, not a decision"

2008-11-24

Marrakech, Morocco - The commission tasked with preventing a collapse of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery today opted for catch quotas still far higher than its own scientists recommend and leaving industrial fleets free to scoop up tuna at the height of its spawning period.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, for the past week, brushed aside its own review's description of its management of the bluefin fishery as "an international disgrace" to endorse a total allowable catch (TAC) of 22,000 tonnes for next year.

ICCAT's own scientists had recommended a TAC ranging 8,500 to 15,000 tonnes per year, warning there were real risks of the fishery collapsing otherwise. The scientists also urged a seasonal closure during the fragile spawning months of May and June, while today's outcome allows industrial fishing in practice up to 20 June.

"This is not a decision, it is a disgrace which leaves WWF little choice but to look elsewhere to save this fishery from itself," said Dr Sergi Tudela, head of WWF Mediterranean's fisheries programme, speaking from Marrakech.

"Any alternative is preferable to an organization which boasts of its respect for science but where in a decade catches have gone from twice to four times the scientific recommendations, with massive legal and illegal overfishing. It is clear that the only thing to slow the fishery with ICCAT at the helm is running out of fish."

The European Union drove today's decision, supported by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Syria and later joined by Japan.

Japan had initially been party to a US, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Iceland and Brazil proposal, supported by a brace of developing nations, to fix the allowed catch at the upper levels recommended by scientists and closing the fishery for the full spawning period.

The debate has been marred by allegations of the European Commission threatening developing state members with trade retaliations should they support lower catch limits and extended closed seasons, with the names of some nations appearing and disappearing from the more scientifically-based proposals.

"ICCAT's string of successive failures leaves us little option now but to seek effective remedies through trade measures and extending the boycott of retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumers," Dr Tudela said.
WWF has been urging a suspension of the out-of-control fishery, an option endorsed by the recent World Conservation Congress and recommended by ICCAT's own internal high-level review.

The world's largest bluefin tuna trader, Mitsubishi, signalled earlier in November that it would "reassess" its "involvement in this business" should ICCAT continue to be unable to sustainably manage the fishery.

"WWF will also actively push for a listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the hope that stringent trade controls tied explicitly to the survival of the species will turn around the half-hearted attempt at fisheries management shown here by ICCAT and especially its European contingent."

CITES next meets in Doha in January 2010 with submissions on listings required by August 2009.
"Today's outcome is a recipe for economic as well as biological bankruptcy with the European Union squarely to blame," said Dr Tudela.

"Bluefin consumption in the main consumer market of Japan is expected to drop from 18,000 tonnes due to the economic crisis, with around 30,000 tonnes of frozen bluefin already in Hong Kong and Japan and additional unknown amounts in other Asian countries and in freezer ships.

"Our industry sources also tell us that there are 7,000 tonnes of illegally fished tuna in fattening cages across the Mediterranean that nobody wants to buy."

The moratorium option, which the scientific panel said would lead to the quickest recovery in bluefin stock and the best future prospects for fulfilling ICCAT's charter of delivering a long-term sustainable fishery, was not even given consideration by the commission in Marrakech despite increasing support for this option from European fishermen.

Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue Expands its Reach - Meetings planned this fall for Southeast Asia and the Americas Region

2008-10-03

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-initiated Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue will hold its second meeting in the Americas region October 9-10 and first meeting in Southeast Asia in November. These are two of the three regions that are the focus of the Dialogue, which was created last year. East Africa, where two Dialogue meetings have been held, also is a priority region.

"The standards will not be credible without input from people in Southeast Asia and the Americas, given that those are two of the world's most important shrimp farming regions," said Jose Villalon, director of the WWF-US Aquaculture Program. "We are excited about working with them to build consensus on what will be the world's most robust standards for shrimp."

At both fall meetings, participants will work on creating the criteria to focus on in order to reduce each of the key environmental and social impacts related to shrimp farming. They then will create indicators, or points of measurement to determine the extent of each impact. They will build off of draft criteria and indicators discussed at previous Dialogue meetings, as well as the "International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming" adopted in 2006 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The principles, criteria and indicators will be the foundation for the final standards, which will be measurable, performance-based and designed to minimize the environmental and social impacts that cause 70-80 percent of the problems associated with shrimp farming.

The October meeting will be in Guayaquil, Ecuador in conjunction with AQUA 2008.

"AQUA 2008 will, for the first time, highlight the shrimp Dialogue," said Samuel Stern, director general of National Aquaculture and Marine Research Center, one of the organizers of the conference. "This is a benchmark event, as Aqua 2008 will provide an excellent platform for stakeholders from academia and the private sector to voice their opinions and positions in an atmosphere of constructive cooperation and purpose."

The inaugural meeting for the Asia region, where approximately 88 percent the world's farmed shrimp is produced, will be in Bangkok in November (exact date to be determined).

The Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue is one of six WWF-initiated Dialogues underway globally. Standards also are being developed for salmon, tilapia, pangasius, abalone and molluscs (clams, scallops, oysters and mussels).

People interested in attending either meeting this fall should contact shrimp Dialogue coordinator Eric Bernard at

ebernard@wwf.fr. For more information about the Dialogue, go to www.worldwildlife.org/shrimpdialogue.

Flags of convenience fly in face of fisheries protection

2008-06-26

Maritime security and the future of fisheries are coming under increasing threat from vessels flying flags of convenience (FOC), a UN conference on the Law of the Sea was told today.

Real and Present Danger: Flag State Failure and Maritime Security and Safety, a joint WWF and International Transport Workers' Federation study, found ships under flags of convenience were also involved in piracy, people trafficking and arms smuggling.

"Many of the thousands of ships plying the world's oceans are effectively without nationality, their owners operating under a veil of corporate secrecy and anonymity within a system that allows them to easily evade international laws and regulations," said the report's author, independent consultant Matthew Gianni.

"Under the FOC system, flag state sovereignty and control over ships is fast becoming a fiction of international law."

The report cites the number of fishing vessels registered to states without fishing authorizations and the extent to which these vessels have been mentioned in connection with illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

Some 318 large-scale fishing vessels without apparent fishing rights are registered to Cambodia, Georgia, Mongolia, North Korea, Sierra Leone and Togo. Vessels from five of these six countries are currently "blacklisted" in various fisheries for illegal fishing activities.

For example, Spanish-based fishing company Vidal Armadores SA "has regularly used a variety of flags of convenience to facilitate IUU operations" the report says. The company, which was stated to have received European Union subsidies of €3 million, has been prominently involved in the illegal trade of the highly overfished Patagonian toothfish with three of its vessels registered to North Korea.

Fishing vessels used in illegal operations typically change name and flags many times to avoid being caught. In 2007 the Vidal Armadores' vessel Ina Maka, previously named Black Moon, Red Moon, Elo, Thule, Magnus and Dorita and flagged at various times to Equatorial Guinea, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and North Korea, was fined 400,000 South African Rand ($US50,000) and its 60 kilometres of gillnets were confiscated after being caught illegally fishing off South Africa with a load of endangered nurse sharks on board.

The report notes that as FOC countries seldom exercise adequate control over the operation of ships registered to fly their flags, their ships also dominate records on sub-standard shipping, poor safety, maltreatment of crew and pollution of the marine environment.

IUU fishing costs an estimated US$1.2 billion each year and threatens the food supplies of millions in coastal areas of developing countries. In addition to the direct loss of the value of the catches to local fishermen, IUU fishers rarely comply with regulations and cause damage to fragile marine ecosystems and vulnerable species such as coral reefs, turtles and seabirds.

WWF is calling for the establishment of a UN Committee to negotiate a new implementing agreement to the UN Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – the legal framework governing the use of ocean space – that sets out enforceable measures to ensure flag states fulfil their responsibilities under UNCLOS and prevents states from operating vessel registers in breach of regulations and international agreements.

"Without transparency of ownership on the FOC registers and without flag states exercising effective jurisdiction over vessels flying their flag, FOC vessels will continue to plunder marine resources on the high seas with impunity," said Miguel Jorge, acting Director of WWF's Global Marine Programme.

The report was released as governments attended the ninth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS) in New York.

After six years away: Marine Turtles return to Rolas Island in the Quirimbas National Park

2008-03-11

Pemba, Mozambique – After more than 6 years since marine turtles or their eggs where last spotted in the uninhabited Rolas Island, in the Quirimbas National Park (QNP), two nests were found in the island recently. This amazing discovery was made by two park rangers during an internal assessment visit carried out last week.

According to Augusto Omar, a local religious leader and park counselor: "6 years ago the pressure over marine resources (including marine turtles) in this island was very high...people use to come even from Tanzazia to catch and eat turtles and their eggs, but now things have changed: it's the community watching over the island and it is now a safer place for this species". "...at the time (6 years ago) you could easily find about 70 fishermen camping there, but that is over now thanks to the Park", concluded Omar.

With the creation of the park and the establishment of marine protected areas (sanctuaries), the number of fishermen visiting the island has decreased, and now even two park rangers are based there. The local community fishermen work in close collaboration with the ranges in order to ensure that the sanctuaries aren't violated by local and illegal fishermen.

"The implementation of the Marine Turtle Conservation Programme has helped them understand the importance of this endangered species; now we have results here and in other parts of the country where we are implementing this programme." Said Alice Costa, a WWF Mozambique Marine Biologist, who also added: "this is all possible not only because they are aware, but mostly because they participate in monitoring activities".

In addition, other species considered to have been disappeared a few years ago in the park are now being seen again very often; this is the case of grey mullet (mugil cephalus) and some species of parrot-fish.

The Rolas Island is located in the north of the Quirimbas National Park and has one established Marine Protected Area.

Further Information:
Lécio Munguambe, Communication Officer
WWF Mozambique Coordination Office
Fax: 21 490970
E-mail: lmunguambe@wwf.org.mz

Cuba helps the Hawksbill

2008-01-22

Cuba has thrown a lifeline to the Caribbean's endangered and critically endangered marine turtles with a ministerial resolution ending all harvesting of marine turtles.

Such a resolution, ending Cuba's long standing harvest of 500 critically endangered hawksbill turtles a year, has been sought by conservationists for more than a decade. It will benefit turtles hatching on beaches throughout the Caribbean and coming regularly to feed in Cuban waters.

Like marine turtles worldwide, the Caribbean's endangered green and loggerhead turtles are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, egg collection, entanglement in fishing gear, climate change, and pollution. Hawksbill turtles are also threatened by hunting for tortoise shell and suffered global population declines of 80 per cent over the last century.

"This far-sighted decision represents an outstanding outcome for Cuba, for the wider Caribbean, and for conservation," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International's Species Programme.

"Cuba is to be commended for the example it has set in intelligent decision-making informed by science and the long term best interests of its people".

The phase out of the marine turtle fishery in Cuba is the result of a joint effort by the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries and WWF, with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

"This decision reflects the political will of the Cuban government to join the call of the international community to adopt measures that guarantee the conservation of marine turtles", declared Dr. Elisa Garcia, Director of Fishing Regulations at the Ministry of Fisheries of Cuba.

The two remaining fishing communities used to harvest marine turtles in Cuba are being provided with funds and technical assistance to help them implement specifically developed sustainable economic alternatives, modernize their fishing fleets, re-train their inhabitants and engage them in hawksbill turtle protection activities.

The WWF/CIDA grant of over $400,000 also supports the Ministry's Centre for Fisheries Research to become a regional hub for marine turtle conservation and research, capitalizing on decades of experience by leading Cuban scientists. It will also strengthen the Office for Fisheries Inspection (the Cuban Fisheries law enforcement group) to ensure compliance with the ban.

Recent research has shown that the Hawksbill's preference for feeding on sponges means it plays a significant but until recently unappreciated role in the continued health of coral reefs, by opening up new feeding opportunities for some varieties of reef fish.

Contacts :
Michael Bliemsrieder
Regional Director for Cuba
and the Greater Antilles
WWF-Canada
35 O'Connor St., Suite 304
Ottawa, ON K1P 5M4, Canada
Direct: (613) 232 8706
Fax: (613) 232 4181
Email: mbliemsrieder@wwfcanada.org

Jose L. Gerhartz
Field Manager for Cuba
WWF-Canada, Havana Field Office
Miramar Trade Centre
Edificio Santiago de Cuba, Oficina 203
5ta Ave. y 78, Miramar, Playa
La Habana, CUBA
Tel: (53-7) 204 9016
Email: jgerhartz@wwfcanada.org

World's first sustainable tuna fishery certified in US

2007-09-06

San Diego, California, US – The world's first certified sustainable tuna fishery was announced today, a move that could help save one of the world's most valuable fish — and the fishing industry that relies on it — from extinction.

The American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) based in San Diego, California, has been officially certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent standard-setting organization that ensures fish are caught according to strict methods that avoid overfishing and bycatch (the unintended capture of other fish, seabirds and marine mammals).

WWF sponsored the assessment of the fishery, hailing the move as a hopeful sign for dramatically declining tuna stocks, fishing livelihoods and food security.

"If we want our grandchildren to have tuna on their dinner plates and in the sea, sustainable tuna fishing practices must be adopted," said Meredith Lopuch, Community Fisheries Programme Director with WWF-US.

MSC milestone
The AAFA tuna fishery is a small, family-run fishery operating out of San Diego. Its members pride themselves on the care they take to protect the marine environment.

"Tuna fishermen seem to get a bad rap in a worldwide way," said Skipper Jack "Bandini" Webster.

"Most of the fishermen who are left love the ocean. You've got to love it because it's real hard work. Being certified sustainable is important to us. Fishermen who are doing the right thing should prove that they are and talk about it. That's what this certificate is all about."

Consumers will be able to buy the MSC-certified tuna in stores nationwide later this year.

"This really is a milestone event and one that demonstrates the applicability of the MSC programme to migratory species," said Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC.

"The certification of the AAFA tuna fishery is a huge achievement for the fishermen. By demonstrating their sustainable practices through MSC certification, AAFA is making it possible for consumers to make the best environmental choice in tuna."

Threatened stocks
With an export catch valued at US$5 billion in 2002, the world's tuna fisheries are facing a number of urgent problems — declining stocks, poor fishing management and regulation, and significant bycatch — that threaten their survival and endanger wider marine ecosystems.

Currently, all 23 commercially exploited tuna stocks are heavily fished, with at least nine classified as fully fished and four more classified as overexploited or depleted. Three are considered Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, and three as Vulnerable to Extinction.

Together, the seven principal market species — albacore, Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, Pacific bluefin, skipjack, southern bluefin and yellowfin — are the single most important resource exploited on the high seas, accounting for over 7% of total marine capture fisheries production and 11% of the total value of fish landings for consumption.

With 21 vessels, AAFA harvests about 30% of albacore tuna caught using the troll and/or pole and line method in the North Pacific. The troll and/or pole and line method avoids bycatch.

In contrast, tuna long-line fisheries deployed some 1.2 billion hooks in 2000 alone, capturing and killing many non-target species including seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks and other fish. Long-line and purse-seine fishing methods account for nearly three-quarters of global tuna catches.

"Certification of the first sustainable tuna fishery shows it can be done," stressed Lopuch.

"If others change to improve their practices and follow suit, there's a future for tuna and tuna fisheries."

Video

For further information:
Lee Poston, Director, Business Media Communications
WWF-US
Tel: +1 202 299 6442
E-mail: lee.poston@wwfus.org