Frontiers in Marine Science (Nov 2015)
Marine Stewardship Council certification of fisheries in Russia: a current status and prospects
Abstract
Russia supports the sixth largest fisheries worldwide, which grew 25% during the last decade and is forecasted to grow 40% more up to 2020. Such voluminous and fast growing fisheries cause challenges for their sustainability. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) voluntary certification is now the most recognized system aimed to achieve sustainability of fisheries through informed choice of consumers. The certified fisheries benefit through recognition of MSC logo by consumers. The certificate is awarded to fisheries with a good status of target species and limited impact to structure and function of ecosystems, and to protected species. The recent research showed that MSC certified fisheries in average refer to healthier stocks than non-certified ones. Russia entered the program in the second half of the 2000s, and the first certificate was awarded in 2009. Now the MSC process in Russia is very intensive and currently involves thirteen fisheries, seven of them already are certified. The certified fisheries can be subdivided into three groups: (i) set net Pacific salmon fisheries of the Far East, (ii) bottom trawl codfish fisheries in the Barents Sea, and (iii) pelagic trawl Alaska pollock fisheries in the Sea of Okhotsk. The total catch of fisheries involved in the MSC program now is about one-third for Pacific salmon, most of codfish and about a half for Alaska pollock. Process of MSC certifications in Russia faces various problems, caused by differences between western and Russian traditions of fishery management, difficulties of access to scientific information, insufficient support from governmental institutions, illegal fishing, insufficient independent observance, influence of hatcheries on salmon wild stocks and others. We believe that to improve sustainability of Russian fisheries, it is needed to demonstrate economical benefits of certification for those fisheries which are not involved in the program, to involve new fisheries in the process, and to develop home market of sustainable seafood.
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