FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report FAO-BASED ICELANDIC RESPONSIBLE FISHERY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION FULL ASSESSMENT REPORT For The Icelandic Golden Redfish Commercial Fishery Applicant Group: The Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍÚ) The Federation of Icelandic Fish Processing Plants (SF) The National Association of Small Boat Owners, Iceland (NASBO) Fisheries Association of Iceland (Facilitator) SAI Global/Global Trust Certification Ltd. Head Office, 3rd Floor, Block 3, Quayside Business Park, Mill Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth. T: +353 42 9320912 F: +353 42 9386864 web: www.GTCert.com Report Ref: ICE/RED/001/2013 Page 1 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report Report Ref: ICE/RED/001/2013 Page 2 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report Assessment Team Members Clare Murray, Lead Assessor SAI Global/Global Trust Certification Ltd. Dundalk, Ireland. Gísli Svan. Einarsson, Assessor VERIÐ Vísindagarðar/Science Park Háeyri 1. 550 Sauðárkrókur. Iceland. Dr. Norman Graham, Assessor Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland. Deirdre Hoare, Assessor Independent Fishery Scientist, Dublin, Ireland. Report Ref: ICE/RED/001/2013 Page 3 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report Schedule of Key Assessment Activities: Assessment Activities Date (s) Application Date May 2011 Initial Review January 2012 Initial Site Visit June 2012 Validation Assessment Report February 2012 Appointment of Full Assessment Team June 2012 On-site Assessment Visit December 2012 Draft Full Assessment Report August 2013* Client Review October 2013* External Peer Review March 2014** Final Assessment Report April 2014 Certification Review/Decision May 1st 2014 *Report awaiting confirmation of outcome on ICES Redfish HCR Review **Report awaiting implementation of Icelandic Redfish Fisheries Management Plan HCR. From 11 Issue 1 Sept 2010 Page 4 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report Summary and Recommendation The Icelandic golden redfish (Sebastes norvegicus)1 commercial fishery, under state management by the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation, is fished with demersal trawl, long-line, Danish seine net, gill net, hook and line by small vessel gear within Iceland’s 200 nautical miles (nm) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Fisheries Association of Iceland on behalf of the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍÚ), the Federation of Icelandic Fish Processing Plants (SF) and the National Association of Small Boat Owners, Iceland (NASBO) requested assessment of the Icelandic golden redfish fishery to the FAO Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Certification Programme. The original application was made in May 2011. Assessment commenced in January 2012 with assessment validation before proceeding to full assessment in June 2012 and final certification determination April 2014. The Icelandic golden redfish fishery takes place within the 200 mile EEZ and is fished by Icelandic registered vessels using all gear types directly (but mainly with bottom trawl gear) and indirectly under the management of the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation. The assessment was conducted according to the Global Trust procedures for FAO–Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Certification using the Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Specification (Version 1, September 2010) to perform the assessment. The assessment was conducted by a team of Global Trust appointed Assessors comprising of three external contracted fishery consultants and Global Trust internal staff. Details of the assessment team are provided in Appendix 2. During the assessment process the key outcomes included: Fisheries Management System A Fisheries Management Plan for Icelandic golden redfish was recently assessed by scientific bodies and implemented by the Icelandic government. The Plan is documented and available on the Icelandic Ministry of Industry and Innovation website. The Plan sets out a strategy of maintaining exploitation rate at a rate which is consistent with the 1 Until very recently Sebastes norvegicus was referred to as Sebastes marinus. (An Historical Review of Sebastes Taxonomy and Systematics efti, Arthur Kendell Jr 2000). Other reference to Sebastes marinus made in the report e.g by peer reviewers relates to earlier drafts prior to the final report text. From 11 Issue 1 Sept 2010 Page 5 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report precautionary approach and that generates maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in the long term. A Harvest Control Rule has recently been adopted (March 2014) for the next 5 years after which it will be formally reviewed. The management unit of golden redfish is in the Icelandic, Faroese and Greenland Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The unit of certification for this assessment is within the Icelandic EEZ, mainly within ICES area Va, contributing to the majority (>95%) of total landings. All commercial fishing operations are subject to a permit from the Directorate of Fisheries. The Ministry of Industries and Innovation issues regulations for commercial fishing for each fishing year, including an allocation of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) from each of the stocks subject to such limitations. The newly adopted FMP states that Icelandic authorities will set annual total allowable catch (TAC) in Icelandic waters in accordance with the HCR and states that this will also take into account estimated catches in Faroese and East-Greenland waters. There is a good track record in Iceland adopting similar and consistent polices across other groundfish fisheries; including cod, haddock and saithe. Annual TACs will be implemented by regulation issued by the Ministry of Industries and Innovation. Allocation of quota is based on an Individual Transfer Quota (ITQ) system for each vessel (or group of vessels as is with the small boat fleet). The Directorate of Fisheries issues annual catch quotas (kgs) to individual vessels as a share in the total allowable catch (TAC) which the Minister of Fisheries sets every year for each species. The annual catch quota is based on the individual vessels quota share (%). All major commercial stocks are now subject to quotas (25 species) and they represent approximately 95-97% of the total annual catch value. Fisheries Research There is effective data collection/compilation for successful execution of stock assessment for management purposes. These are adequate to ensure that sufficient internal expertise and external expert consultation is present within the system to ensure the integrity of scientific assessment for fishery stock management purposes. The Icelandic golden redfish stock is not considered to be overfished nor is it considered that overfishing is occurring. The biomass proxy is estimated to have been above the precautionary-approach-derived target reference point since 2010. Monitoring and Control Systems There is an established legal framework, with regulations and rules that give powers to the Ministry, the Directorate of Fisheries, the Coast Guard and the Marine Research Institute From 11 Issue 1 Sept 2010 Page 6 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report (MRI). The Directorate undertakes the day to day operational implementation of fishery regulations and has powers to collect levies, monitor, inspect, report and gather evidence for prosecution purposes where violations are expected. The Marine Research Institute (MRI) deals with resource assessment, closure of areas, monitoring and research into the changes in physical parameters within the waters of Iceland as the basis of understanding the effects of these changes on fisheries productivity in Iceland. The MRI is also developing expertise and understanding of the ecosystems approach to fisheries management. Direct and indirect impacts of fisheries are assessed and effectively addressed through conservation measures. Recommendation of the Assessment Team The assessment team recommends that the management system of the applicant fishery, Icelandic Golden Redfish (Sebastes norvegicus) commercial fishery is awarded certification to the Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Certification Programme. Peer Reviewers Summaries and Recommendations The final report was reviewed by two external peer reviewers and their reports can be found in Section 8 of the document. From 11 Issue 1 Sept 2010 Page 7 of 193 FAO-Based Icelandic Responsible Fisheries Management Golden Redfish Full Assessment Report Contents Summary and Recommendation .......................................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Recommendation of the Assessment Team .............................................................................................. 9 2. Fishery Applicant Details .......................................................................................................................... 10 3. Background to the Fishery ......................................................................................................................