MSC Sustainable Fisheries Certification Western Bering Sea Pacific cod and Pacific halibut longline Public Consultation Draft Report – August 2019 Longline Fishery Association Assessment Team: Dmitry Lajus, Daria Safronova, Aleksei Orlov, Rob Blyth-Skyrme Document: MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template V2.0 page 1 Date of issue: 8 October 2014 © Marine Stewardship Council, 2014 Contents Table of Tables ..................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Figures .................................................................................................................... 7 Glossary.............................................................................................................................. 10 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 12 2 Authorship and Peer Reviewers ................................................................................... 14 2.1 Use of the Risk-Based Framework (RBF): ............................................................ 15 2.2 Peer Reviewers .................................................................................................... 15 3 Description of the Fishery ............................................................................................ 16 3.1 Unit(s) of Assessment (UoA) and Scope of Certification Sought ........................... 16 3.1.1 UoA and Proposed Unit of Certification (UoC) ............................................... 16 3.2 Consideration of MSC scope criteria ..................................................................... 17 3.3 Final UoCs ............................................................................................................ 17 3.3.1 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Catch Data ................................................ 17 3.4 Overview of the fishery ......................................................................................... 18 3.5 Principle One: Target Species Background ........................................................... 21 3.5.1 Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) ............................................................... 21 3.5.2 Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) ....................................................... 42 3.6 Principle Two: Ecosystem Background ................................................................. 61 3.6.1 Overview of the aquatic ecosystem ................................................................ 61 3.6.2 Characteristics of cod and halibut feeding in the western part of the Bering Sea and in the waters off the southeastern Kamchatka ....................................................... 69 3.6.3 Habitats ......................................................................................................... 70 3.6.4 Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) ......................................................... 74 3.6.5 Data collected by independent observers at the fishing vessels ..................... 76 3.6.6 Сatch data ..................................................................................................... 82 3.6.7 Primary species ............................................................................................. 85 3.6.8 Secondary species ...................................................................................... 100 3.6.9 ‘In scope’ secondary species ....................................................................... 100 3.6.10 ‘Out of scope’ secondary species ................................................................. 102 3.6.11 Management ................................................................................................ 105 3.6.12 Potential impact on ETP species.................................................................. 105 3.6.13 ETP management and information ............................................................... 111 3.7 Principle Three: Management System Background............................................. 114 3.7.1 Legal and customary framework .................................................................. 114 3.7.2 Fisheries management ................................................................................ 116 3.7.3 Longline Fisheries Association ..................................................................... 122 4 Evaluation Procedure ................................................................................................. 132 Document: MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template V2.0 page 2 Date of issue: 8 October 2014 © Marine Stewardship Council, 2014 4.1 Harmonised Fishery Assessment ........................................................................ 132 4.2 Previous assessments ........................................................................................ 132 4.3 Assessment Methodologies ................................................................................ 132 4.4 Evaluation Processes and Techniques ............................................................... 133 4.4.1 Site Visits ..................................................................................................... 133 4.4.2 Consultations ............................................................................................... 134 4.4.3 Evaluation Techniques ................................................................................. 134 5 Traceability ................................................................................................................ 136 5.1 Eligibility Date ..................................................................................................... 136 5.2 Traceability within the Fishery ............................................................................. 136 5.3 Eligibility to Enter Further Chains of Custody ...................................................... 138 5.4 Eligibility of Inseparable or Practicably Inseparable (IPI) stock(s) to Enter Further Chains of Custody ......................................................................................................... 138 6 Evaluation Results ..................................................................................................... 139 6.1 Principle Level Scores ........................................................................................ 139 6.2 Summary of PI Level Scores ............................................................................... 139 6.3 Summary of Conditions ....................................................................................... 140 6.4 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 140 6.5 Determination, Formal Conclusion and Agreement ............................................. 140 References ....................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix 1: Scoring and Rationales ................................................................................. 160 Principle 1 scoring tables: UoA 1 – Pacific cod .............................................................. 160 PI 1.1.1 – Stock status ............................................................................................... 160 PI 1.1.2 – Stock rebuilding ......................................................................................... 163 PI 1.2.1 – Harvest strategy ......................................................................................... 164 PI 1.2.2 – Harvest control rules and tools ................................................................... 168 PI 1.2.3 – Information and monitoring ........................................................................ 170 PI 1.2.4 – Assessment of stock status ........................................................................ 172 Principle 1 scoring tables: UoA 2 – Pacific halibut ......................................................... 175 PI 1.1.1 – Stock status ............................................................................................... 175 PI 1.1.2 – Stock rebuilding ......................................................................................... 178 PI 1.2.1 – Harvest strategy ......................................................................................... 180 PI 1.2.2 – Harvest control rules and tools ................................................................... 184 PI 1.2.3 – Information and monitoring ........................................................................ 186 PI 1.2.4 – Assessment of stock status ........................................................................ 188 Principle 2 Scoring Tables ............................................................................................. 191 PI 2.1.1 – Primary species outcome ........................................................................... 191 PI 2.1.2 – Primary species management strategy ...................................................... 197 PI 2.1.3 – Primary species information ....................................................................... 200 PI 2.2.1 – Secondary species outcome ...................................................................... 204 Document: MSC Full Assessment Reporting Template V2.0 page 3 Date of issue: 8 October 2014 © Marine Stewardship Council, 2014 PI 2.2.2 – Secondary species management strategy ................................................