By Scott Wallace, Sustainable Fisheries Analyst
Today is a landmark day in the history of the B.C. trawl industry and marks a precedent-setting change in how the groundfish bottom trawl fishery operates in B.C.'s rich ocean environment. A suite of measures was announced that will reduce the impacts of this fishery on sensitive seafloor habitats. This announcement was the result of a collaborative effort between environmental organizations and the trawling industry, which was then supported by government.
For years environmental groups have been pressuring the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to reduce the environmental impacts of bottom trawl fisheries in Canada. In fact, my first task at the David Suzuki Foundation in 2006 was to prepare a report on bottom trawling in Canada. Although DFO has recently developed some policies for addressing habitat damage resulting from bottom trawl fisheries, there have been no actual changes on the water. Until now.
About three years ago, DSF started engaging in casual conversations with the groundfish bottom trawl industry about how the fishery could be improved. There was distrust on both sides. Industry claimed environmental organizations were wrongly portraying their fishery. We responded that industry needed to defensibly demonstrate they were addressing habitat impacts. This led to additional conversations involving other environmental groups, particularly the Living Oceans Society, and resulted in measures that both industry and the environmental organizations involved feel are a new standard for the management of bottom trawling habitat impacts in Canada.
One of the driving factors behind these changes has been an increased demand for sustainable seafood in the marketplace as a result of programs like SeaChoice. Most of the fish caught by this trawl fishery are sold to North American markets. Within this market, nearly every major retailer has committed to a sustainable seafood procurement policy. In recent years, SeaChoice secured sustainable seafood partnerships with the Overwaitea Food Group, Safeway Canada, Federated Co-op, and Whole Foods Canada, leading them to demand more sustainable seafood products from producers. The SeaChoice program currently ranks several species of fish coming from the bottom trawl fishery as 'red' (avoid), primarily due to the unaddressed habitat impacts, including damage to sensitive cold water corals and sponges. In order for the B.C. groundfish bottom trawl fishery to maintain and expand markets, it needed to reduce the negative effects it was having on sensitive habitats.
There are three primary changes that will take effect on April 2:
Defined boundaries for the fishery,
individual limits on coral and sponge bycatch, and
a reporting and review protocol if a combined catch of coral and sponge in excess of 20 kg occurs in a single tow.
In addition to these management measures, a review committee has also been formed to ensure that the new measures are working as planned and to address other issues concerning habitat impacts.
In terms of numbers, the overall allowable trawling area is now about 20% smaller or ~ 8200 km2 less than where the fishery has operated historically. In very deep waters (over 800m), the allowable area has been reduced by 65% from the historically trawled area. The use of individual bycatch limits for coral and sponge is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Since 1996, each vessel has carried an onboard independent observer who records the catch of all species and now will also be responsible for recording the catches of coral and sponge. If a vessel exceeds their allowable individual limit they will need to either purchase additional quota from other vessels or be tied to the dock. The idea is that the individual skipper takes full accountability for their behavior.
The combined new management measures have been designed to provide assurances to conservation organizations and seafood retailers that the B.C. bottom trawl industry is reducing their impacts on sensitive seafloor habitats. In the coming years we will continue to work with the groundfish trawl fishery to help realize the successful implementation of these measures and evaluate their effectiveness. We will continue to report on progress and undertake renewed sustainability assessments of this fishery once the measures have been implemented and evaluated.
No one stands to benefit more from a healthy marine ecosystem than those who harvest fish. The long term viability of any wild fishery is dependent on a healthy ecosystem, which of course includes habitat. This shared value between harvesters and conservation organizations provides a focus for continued improvement to how we manage fisheries.
Thanks to the David Suzuki Foundation
Kathy Dowsett
www.kirkscubagear.com
Showing posts with label David Suzuki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Suzuki. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saving the World's Oceans
Image via Wikipedia
Oceans keep us alive. They provide food, oxygen, water, medicines, and recreation. They help protect us from climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. If we care about ourselves and our children and grandchildren, we must look beyond our immediate surroundings and do all we can to care for the oceans. But instead of respecting oceans as life-giving miracles, we often use them as vast garbage dumps, treating them like stores with shelves that never go empty.
The shelves are going empty, though. Humans are changing the chemistry and ecology of the ocean at a scale and rate not previously believed possible. According to a study from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean, the combined effects of overfishing, fertilizer run-off, pollution, and ocean acidification from carbon dioxide emissions are putting much marine life at immediate risk of extinction.
The 27 scientists from 18 organizations in six countries who participated in the review of scientific research from around the world concluded that the looming extinctions are “unprecedented in human history.” As a result, the same scientists have called for “urgent and unequivocal action to halt further declines in ocean health.” The main factors are what they term the “deadly trio” – climate change, ocean acidification, and lack of oxygen. Overfishing and pollution add to the problem.
The researchers also found that “existing scientific projections of how coral reefs will respond to global warming have been highly conservative and must now be modified,” and that chemicals such as “brominated flame retardants, fluorinated compounds, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic musks used in detergents and personal care products” – which can cause cancer and disrupt human endocrine and immune systems – have been found in aquatic animals everywhere, even in the Canadian Arctic. Marine litter and plastics are also found throughout the oceans, sometimes in massive swirling gyres.
Alex Rogers, the scientific director of IPSO, is quoted in The Guardian as saying he was shocked by the findings: "This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children's [generation] and generations beyond that."
“Action at every level” means just that – actions that we can all take as individuals, as well as actions that governments and industry leaders must take. Reducing our own wastes, being careful about what we put down the drain, cutting down the amount of animal-based protein we eat and feed to our pets, and joining efforts to protect the oceans are a start, but the most important role we can all play is to tell governments and industry leaders that we will no longer stand for this abuse of our oceans.
We can already anticipate that industry-funded deniers, and the dupes who help spread their misinformation, will be out in force, painting this as yet another conspiracy on the part of the world’s scientists, and that some governments will put industrial interests ahead of everything else. We must put a stop to this nonsense. Every year that we stall on implementing the solutions to climate change means we are less likely to be able to resolve the problems. Other scientists and I have been warning about the consequences of climate change for more than 20 years, yet governments are still dithering while the world’s natural systems continue to erode.
What this study also shows is that we cannot look at ecosystems, species, and environmental problems in isolation. The research points out that the combined impact of all the stressors is far more severe than what scientists might conclude by looking at the individual problems.
The report exemplifies the old adage about death by a thousand cuts. There is no single place to concentrate blame except in the mirror. The study’s authors note that “traditional economic and consumer values that formerly served society well, when coupled with current rates of population increase, are not sustainable.” In other words, we need to account for the impact we have on the planet each time we flush a toilet, drink a pop, hop in a car, or eat a radish. There is no shortage of solutions – just a shortage of political will. Further delay in resolving these serious problems will only increase costs and lead to even greater losses of the natural benefits oceans give to us.
Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation editorial and communications specialist Ian Hanington.
Kathy Dowsett
www.kirkscubagear.com
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