Traceability and certification in the PNA and global tuna markets

Coral Triangle Fishers Forum II, Lami, Fiji18 June 2012

PNA – 8 island nations in an area 40% bigger than the EU ,

Market import requirementsReally 2 areas :-Import Catch Documentation Scheme [CDS]• USA• EU• ICCATConsumer demanded / NGO driven perception of

sustainability :- • Dolphin safe AIDCP, EII, FOS• MSC• Pacifical

US Government • EPO Yellowfin must meet requirements of USG

dolphin safe standards for EPO, and drift net prohibition globally. No issue for Skipjack.

• US Department of Commerce, also has own “Dolphin Safe”

Outside EPO , US imports only require NOAA 370 form declaring origin.

NO DOLPHIN SAFE REQUIREMENT OTHERWISE

EC Regulations - Ms Damanaki answer on behalf of the Commission

• “The Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) has established a Dolphin Safe Tuna certificate and label. Its use is voluntary. Therefore, market operators are free to decide whether to use it or not and, in either case, they can sell their products in the EU market.”

• Council Regulation (EC) No 882/2003(1) transposed the AIDCP Dolphin Safe Tuna into Union law without, however, either making it compulsory or imposing it as the sole scheme available. This decision is due to the fact that other similar labels with similar objectives might exist (and in fact do exist). Furthermore, tuna fished outside the Eastern Pacific Ocean could not receive an AIDCP dolphin safe label, on a simple geographical origin principle, even in the event where the fishing activities are carried out in accordance with the criterion of the AIDCP.

Dolphin safe

Dolphin safe

PNA DOLPHIN SAFE ???

AIDCP• Successful IATTC observer backed scheme, based

on mitigation of dolphin mortality.• Dolphin safe scheme traces from net to retail with

full traceability and verification.• Only applies to EPO yellowfin• Recognized by governments internationally. • Recognised by FAO and leading NGOs• Opposed by EII

EII - Dolphin safe [single species]• Claimed certification means

Reality:• Nil observer coverage at sea.• Self declaration by companies with no verification.• Industry pressured in media /trade to join or face

embargos . • Widely documented as a worthless scheme

•no targeting dolphins, •no IUU, [since 2009]•no shark finning, •no drift net, •by-catch reduction, and •no fishing in Marine Protected Areas ,

EII Membership requirement• Members sign declarations of EII, “International - dolphin safe

policy”.• Pay “voluntary” fees, and expenses for EII visits.• Undertake not to buy from, process or sell to non EII members.• Provide regular reports of trade to EII.• Open books to inspection by EII to verify suppliers, processors,

traders and markets, who are then targeted

• This is then a EII “Dolphin Safe” • company, and captains can self certify catch compliance,

with no verification or validity as documented globally• In Eu use of registered “dolphin safe” logo means paying

royalties to EII as well

Dolphin conservation or extortion?Recent Examples of EII as an action group:• Solomon islands: Government and investors held to

ransom over customary harvest and limited live trade in dolphin.

• Maldives: government, resort developers, tuna processors and artisanal tuna industry held to ransom over proposed dolphin show investment.

• Challenge EPO yellowfin Trade under IATTC scheme, • PNA / Pacifical MSC – global industry blackmailed

not to support unless we subscribe to EII and allow them to dictate with whom we trade.

• Attacking retailers using alternative certification

Invisible to EII

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Traceability test: Audits must include a test at the beginning and at the end of one ormore batches of the finished product, contemplating suitable mass budgets, bills,invoices and all relevant documents to prove origin of the product and his conformity to the standard.

[Required to be an EII member]

FOS free school certification• Proposed new scheme with FOS working with large

industry players, to offer alternative to MSC.• PNA FAD closure can not be validly certified Free

school catch despite claims. • Scheme has no observers or validation at sea set by

set or by period.• Euro 5,000 [$6,300] per month [$75,600 per year]

monitoring fee to get free school certificates.• Projected return $2.00/case [about $ 120.00 / mt]

MSC premiums offer an economic incentive to target mature free school skipjack and avoid bye catch issues of FADs and juveniles

Responsibility of PNA - PNAO and Authorities

Overview of the PNA MSC COC

ObserverWorkbook

Captain’sLogbook

CompanyRecord

PNA OfficeApproval of Batch as

‘MSC Eligible’

De-briefing

Port sampling

Specific training in MSC

Sea-based training

Special ‘club’ Agreement

Observe transhipment process and onboard

carrier

MSC MaterialTraceability,

Identification andSegregation

Strengthen Observer Recording

Verification of Observer

Records

Audit & Approval of company

Inspection by Authority

Company training of vessel crew and review

Automatic database checks and issuance of approval number

On-site sample auditing of member companies, observers, authority, vessels and handling of materials

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Double Observers

Video Monitoring

MSC Batch ApprovalMSC Batch Approval

Greenpeace campaigner Sari Tolvanen says:

“The overarching standards imposed by MSC on the [PNA] products are more far reaching than EII certification which has a focus on the cetacean issue alone. If consumers demand a dolphin safe logo on these products on top of the MSC certification, the PNA dolphin safe provides this assurance.”