Progress Toward Sustainable Seafood – by the Numbers, 2017 Edition
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Progress Toward Sustainable Seafood – By the Numbers 2017 Edition California Environmental Associates Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 1 INTRODUCTION Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 Business relationships & supply chain engagement 59 Corporate-NGO partnerships PROJECT OVERVIEW 7 Greenpeace’s scorecard data METRICS AND DATA 8 Conditions for business change 72 Media and literature penetration Impact on the water 9 Industry event attendance Global trends in fishery exploitation U.S. seafood consumption U.S. trends in fishery exploitation Consumer interest and preferences Enabling businesses and initiatives Producer-level progress 30 Fishery improvement projects Policy change 89 Certification data Policy timeline Port State Measures Agreement Consumption & Trade dynamics 48 Marine Protected Areas Global seafood consumption E.U. policy update Seafood trade flow data U.S. policy update Key commodity trade flow trends Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 2 INTRODUCTION Executive Summary: The State of Global Oceans Global landings continue to stagnate or decline in fisheries around the world, FAO Marine Fish Landings (million tonnes) as fishing effort has quadrupled over the past four decades. These two 100 developments combined have led to massive declines in fishery productivity. 80 Depending on the source, total catch estimates vary significantly. FAO, which 60 tracks only reported landings, provides lower global catch estimates than 40 sources like Sea Around Us Project (SAUP) and a new database compiled by Reg A. Watson, which attempt to reconstruct missing catch data from IUU, 20 discards, and artisanal fisheries. 0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Estimates of overall stock health also range widely from worrisome to bleak. FAO’s global marine fish landings have FAO’s SOFIA report, the most optimistic source we reviewed, estimates 31% of stagnated or declined since the early global stocks are overfished; SAUP puts the figure at 40%. A recent paper by 1990s. Sources with reconstructed catch Costello et. al found a majority of global fisheries have biomass below MSY. and discards maintain this overall trend. Fisheries Governance Index Widespread degradation also presents a great opportunity, especially for Lowest Scores countries with the least-effective management: a shift to more sustainable management can yield massive growth in profit, food, and biomass. Countries like Thailand, Brazil, and China would contribute most to global gains. However, the countries with the greatest potential upside from reform have also been most challenging to engage. These countries often have low capacity to implement better fisheries management and have a large portion of artisinal fisheries that are difficult to engage through traditional market- In each area, countries are rated from 0 based interventions like certification, ratings, and improvement projects. (low) to 1 (high) in terms of effectiveness. Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 3 INTRODUCTION Executive Summary: Production, Consumption, and Trade Seafood consumption is rapidly increasing, fueled by growth in aquaculture Seafood Trade by Value, 2015 (billion USD) production. In 2014, aquaculture produced more food for human consumption Imports Exports than capture fisheries. Capture production is still twice as large when reduction species are included, but increases in aquaculture will close this gap by 2030. International seafood trade has grown alongside consumption: with 37% of volume traded, it is among the world’s most-traded commodities. This signals the potential strength of the market conservation movement, but it is important to consider that a large portion of trade occurs between partners with good fisheries management – especially among European nations – and a growing portion among markets with relatively low demand for sustainable seafood. Asia is the most dynamic fisheries region in the world; it has been and will Top Seafood Consuming Nations, 2013 continue to be a driver of growth in production, consumption, and trade. Asia (million tonnes) has 5 of the top 6 seafood-consuming nations, and many have among the China 27,590 fastest growing per capita consumption rates in the world. China alone consumes more seafood than the next 9 countries combined and accounts for Japan 5,577 18% of global capture and over 60% of global aquaculture production of fish. U.S. 5,223 While fisheries in many Asian nations are considered to be in need of reform, Indonesia 4,788 a shift to Western-style management would likely decrease productivity. Asian fisheries have relied on speciation, the removal of predator species, to drive S. Korea 2,569 increased production of smaller species. Reverting to single-species Philippines 2,336 management would likely increase biomass, but reduce total catch and value. Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 4 INTRODUCTION Executive Summary: Certification and Social Issues Total landings engaged by FIPs and MSC have increased by 2.4 million tonnes Total FIP and MSC Landings (‘000 tonnes) since 2014, excluding small pelagic FIPs. By including small pelagics FIPs (and the 20,000 newly reengaged Peruvian anchoveta FIP), the figure grows to 3.2 million tonnes. 15,000 Certification schemes are disseminating rapidly: FIPs and MSC certifications marked a decade of steady growth, and GAA and ASC aquaculture certifications 10,000 have skyrocketed. Since 2014, fisheries engaged by FIPs grew by 12% and MSC by 32%, while ASC certifications quadrupled and GAA certifications doubled. 5,000 In 2016, the launch of FisheryProgress.org heralded a new, consolidated source 0 for reliable information on FIPs. At the time of publishing, the site contained 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 information on 52 FIPs in 22 countries from 22 different implementers. It’s FIPs (Small Pelagics) registered user base had grown to over 450, including 150 industry members. FIPs (All Other Species) MSC Full Assessment MSC Certified Since 2014, media coverage of IUU and social issues in the seafood supply chain Mainstream Media Articles has increased tremendously. This is true in both mainstream coverage, such as Mentioning IUU 1,400 1,246 the New York Times’ Outlaw Ocean series, and industry outlets, including 1,200 IntraFish.com. The increased interest is mirrored in consumer search trends. 1,000 The Sustainable Seafood Movement has also expanded its reach into social 800 issues and IUU. FairTrade Seafood has successfully launched and several FIPs 600 have begun to include social considerations in their improvement objectives. 400 With regard to IUU, the past two years have seen widespread adoption of the 200 Port State Measures Agreement and an increased emphasis on traceability work, 0 including NGO partnerships and new technology development. 2000 2008 2016 Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 5 INTRODUCTION Overview of Seafood Metrics Project PURPOSE METHODOLOGY LIMITATIONS • Continue consistent tracking • Simple, quantitative, and • Limited time series data effort to monitor the impact of replicable • Difficult to attribute direct sustainable seafood initiatives • Included a survey of cause-and-effect on the global seafood market conservation community to relationships given the • Update and build upon update existing datasets as market orientation of previous reports (2008, 2010, well as identify and baseline grantee tools 2013, 2015) new relevant datasets • Quality, timeliness, and • Aggregate and provide all • Conducted a scan of availability of data readily available data on relevant, publicly available sustainable seafood efforts data and impacts to the conservation community • Inform long-term adjustments to strategy and other market- based approaches to addressing environmental issues Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 6 INTRODUCTION Overview of Seafood Metrics Report METRICS INCLUDED Global status and trends in fishery health and exploitation GOAL : IMPACT ON THE WATER Fishery improvement projects Policy timeline PRODUCER - LEVEL PROGRESS Certification data Port State Measures Individual producers have the capacity and support from the NGO and corporate communities to improve. Marine Protected Areas E.U. policy update U.S. policy update Global seafood consumption CONSUMPTION & TRADE DYNAMICS P O L I C Y Demand generated by sustainable seafood commitments is transmitted through Seafood trade flow data international trade and the ability to engage fisheries is a function of the market’s CHANGE Key commodity trade flow trends global reach. Unlike the other categories, trade dynamics is not generally A combination of considered an area of NGO focus. advocacy and corporate Corporate-NGO partnerships support help BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS & SUPPLY drive improved Greenpeace’s scorecard data CHAIN ENGAGEMENT government regulations and Influential businesses operationalize their commitments to sustainable seafood. enforcement. Media and literature penetration Industry event attendance CONDITIONS FOR BUSINESS CHANGE U.S. seafood consumption Influential businesses have the information, tools, and motivation to engage on Consumer interest and preferences sustainable seafood, based partly on consumer awareness and NGO partnerships. Enabling businesses and initiatives Packard Foundation | Seafood Metrics Report | June 2017 | Page 7 IMPACT ON THE WATER Impact on the water METRICS INCLUDED Global status and trends in fishery health and exploitation