Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the Canada Pacific halibut (British Columbia) fishery scored in assessment against the MSC standard. For the certifiers evaluation please download the full public certification report with detailed information on the performance of this fishery against the criteria of the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified: 

Sustainability strengths

Some points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below. 

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• Extensive research and monitoring programs are in place for this fishery, including sophisticated stock assessment analyses that are conducted annually. Recent stock assessments have shown that the stock remains well above the level at which there is a risk of recruitment failure and that the stock is currently at a level consistent with being exploited at sustainable levels. Under the current rate of harvest, the stock is expected to continue recent growth.
  

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• Significant research into the ecology of halibut means that there is a lot of information on the position of Pacific halibut in the food web at various life stages. Bycatch in this hook and line fishery is well documented through the catch reporting and monitoring systems in place. This type of gear avoids major impacts on habitat, but data on this is sparse and is being improved through at at-sea monitoring program providing 100% coverage.
  

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The Pacific halibut stock in the US and Canada is managed through the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The Pacific Halibut Convention, signed in 1923 by the US and Canada, regulates fishing for halibut by these countries and is designed to maintain halibut stocks at sustainable levels. The fishery is conducted within a legally robust management framework that complies with domestic, regional and international law.
  

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are:

• To develop a better understanding of the impacts of the fishery on non-target species, the Pacific Halibut Management Association has committed to developing a strategic plan to further understand and mitigate risks to these species resulting from the Pacific halibut fishery. For any species that are identified as at risk from the fishery, management measures will be established to reduce these risks as much as possible.