INTERTEK MOODY MARINE Date: August 2012 Ref: 82140 Dutch Oyster Association Oyster Fishery Public Comment Draft Report Authors: A Hough, A Brand, Z Jager Jaap de Rooij Dutch Oyster Association Postbus 124 4400 AC Yerseke Netherlands Tel: +32 50674822 [email protected] Intertek Moody Marine Merlin House Stanier Way Wyvern Business Park Derby United Kingdom DE21 6BF Dutch Oyster Association Oyster Fishery Report page 1 V3 Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................. 2 1. Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 3 2. Authorship and Peer Reviewers .......................................................................................... 5 3. Description of the Fishery ................................................................................................. 6 4. Evaluation Procedure ...................................................................................................... 34 5 Traceability ................................................................................................................... 37 6 Evaluation Results .......................................................................................................... 37 References ............................................................................................................................ 41 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 45 Appendix 1 Scoring and Rationales ......................................................................................... 45 Appendix 1.1 Performance Indicator Scores and Rationale ................................................. 45 Appendix 1.2 Risk Based Framework (RBF) Outputs ............................................................. 89 Appendix 1.3 Conditions .................................................................................................... 97 Appendix 2. Peer Review Reports ........................................................................................... 98 Appendix 3. Stakeholder submissions .................................................................................... 119 Appendix 4. Surveillance Frequency ...................................................................................... 120 Appendix 5. Client Agreement .............................................................................................. 121 Appendix 5.1 Objections Process ....................................................................................... 122 Dutch Oyster Association Oyster Fishery Report page 2 V3 1. Executive Summary This assessment is of two species of oyster, the native flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Both species are fished in two adjacent waterbodies in Southern Holland, the Oosterschelde and Lake Grevelingen. As discussed below, the native oyster has been decimated by the disease bonamiosis while the Pacific oyster has thrived. The fishery in both waterbodies is based on an area of cultivated plots, with each plot assigned to a licenced fisherman to manage. In Grevelingen, plots are managed to encourage native oyster (a more valuable species), but Pacific oyster may also be taken. In Oosterschelde, native oyster are very rare and so fishing is mostly of gigas; some native oyster may be taken. In both waterbodies, the provision of suitable substrate for settlement of native oyster, and harvest before animals are susceptible to bonamia, serves to preserve the native stock. The assessment therefore includes both species in both waterbodies (Oosterschelde and Grevelingen). It is noted that there are also imports and exports of oyster carried out by companies based in Yerseke (the base of the oyster fishing fleet). As these do not overlap with the fisheries under assessment, these are not considered further here. As there are two species targeted, and two areas (Oosterschelde and lake Grevelingen), there are four separate Units of Certification (UoC), although these are being assessed at the same time. The assessment was carried out by a team of three specialists; Dr Andrew Hough PhD. Lead auditor contracted from Hough Associates, Dr Andrew Brand, PhD. Retired university lecturer and Dr Ir Zwanette Jager, PhD. Consultant. Andrew Hough is fully trained in use of the MSC Risk-Based Framework. The draft report was peer-reviewed by a further two specialists, Andy Read and Dr Terry Holt. Information gathering was carried out principally during a visit to Yerseke, the main port for the oyster fleet. Itinerary and meetings were as follows: 13 March 2012. Site visit in Yerseke, Netherlands. Interviews and discussions on fishery with: J de Rooy, Secretary, NOV B Keus, Advisor NOV J Dingemanse, Member, NOV K Troost, IMARES M Poelman IMARES G-J van Veen, Fishery Inspector, AID 14 March 2012. Yerseke a.m. Observation of fishing activity on board NOV member vessel YE 60 in Kom, Oosterschelde. Aart Cornelisse Skipper. p.m. SICA Workshop at offices of IMARES, Yerseke. Attending: B Keus, Advisor, NOV K Troost, IMARES A Smaal, IMARES Fishing on the free grounds, using an oyster dredge. In the fishery on the free grounds, both spat and grown oysters are retained, other by-catch is returned to the water through an on-board flushing system. This activity occurs in Oosterschelde, not in Grevelingen, and the fishermen need a fishery licence and an Nb-(nature conservation act) permit. The spat and grown oysters are then transferred to the culture plots in Oosterschelde for growing on and harvesting in time with market demands. It is Dutch Oyster Association Oyster Fishery Report page 3 V3 not allowed to transfer shellfish from Oosterschelde to Grevelingen. Fishing on the free grounds is not allowed in the intertidal areas, except in the Kom (which is given over to oyster plots), nor inside areas closed for other purposes (nature conservation, mussel culture etc) as indicated on Hydrographical Map 1805 (edition 2011). Growing oysters on the culture plots in Oosterschelde and Grevelingen. The culture plots cover a total area of 1500 ha in Oosterschelde and of 550 ha in Grevelingen. The Oosterschelde culture plots are all concentrated in the shallow eastern part, which is called “Kom van de Oosterschelde” or the Kom. The culture plots in Lake Grevelingen are in designated areas, situated around Hompelvoet, Veermansplaat and alongside the former tidal channels at water depths between 1-5 m. The flat oyster is mainly cultivated in Grevelingen, not in Oosterschelde (Troost 2009). The growing of Pacific oysters on culture plots in the Oosterschelde involves manipulation by the fishermen: oysters are repeatedly fished on the plots, using the oyster dredge. The fishermen sort the oysters to different size classes on board of the vessel and redistribute the oysters over their plots. As a side effect of this repeated handling, the oyster shells get more rounded and thicker, which improves their commercial value. Oyster spat is collected on the plots by providing suitable settling substratum (empty shells). Spat and small oyster may also be introduced onto plots from fishing on the free grounds; however, the number of Pacific oyster (C gigas) in both water bodies is extremely large, recruitment is high and the management of plots is more an issue of providing oyster of the right size at the right time, rather than securing stock. The flat oyster (cultivated in Lake Grevelingen) is more fragile and is disturbed as little as possible. The scores for the MSC Principles for the Native Oyster Ostrea edulis unit of certification in Lake Grevelingen were: Final Principle Scores Principle Score Principle 1 – Target Species 90.0 Principle 2 - Ecosystem 85.3 Principle 3 – Management System 89.9 All other units of certification scored: Final Principle Scores Principle Score Principle 1 – Target Species 83.5 Principle 2 - Ecosystem 85.3 Principle 3 – Management System 89.9 The recommendation of the assessment team is therefore that all units of certification be certified. One Condition of Certification was raised for PI 2.2.2, management of bycatch species; The SG80 requirements for this PI are only partially met as there is not ‘qualitative information and some quantitative information available on the amount of main bycatch species affected by the fishery, nor does sufficient data continue to be collected to detect any increase in risk to main bycatch species (e.g., due to changes in the outcome indicator scores or the operation of the fishery or the effectively of the strategy)’. Dutch Oyster Association Oyster Fishery Report page 4 V3 2. Authorship and Peer Reviewers Assessment Team: Dr Andrew Hough PhD. Lead auditor contracted from Hough Associates. Dr Andrew Brand, PhD. Retired university lecturer. Dr Ir Zwanette Jager, PhD. Consultant. Andrew Hough is fully trained in use of the MSC Risk-Based Framework. Peer Reviewers: 1. Andy Read. Andy Read is currently Director of Fisheries in the Isle of Man. A week after graduating with a degree in marine biology he started out as a ‘deckie learner’ in the Isle of Man scallop fleet, before working in Australia and Scotland on larger vessels, and eventually owning his own potting vessel. After 8 years at sea he took a Masters degree in Fisheries Science at Aberdeen University, and following a brief spell in Washington DC working