Meet the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishers
Through rationalisation, the Pacific hake, or whiting, mid-water trawl fishery has reduced its environmental impact and ensured sustainable stock levels, and MSC certification is helping it reap the rewards of its efforts. Daniel Waldeck and Jan Jacobs of the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative discuss how the fishery maintains its sustainability and the impact certification has had for its fishers.
Quick facts
"Probably the single biggest effect that the fisheries on the West Coast and Alaska have had is this effort to move toward rationalisation – that has dramatically revolutionised fisheries."
Daniel Waldeck, executive director of the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative
Why we chose MSC certification
MSC certification has provided the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishers with an independent assessment of their management system and reaffirmed that the hake fishery is responsibly managed.
"We were hoping the MSC could provide a third-party verification of what was already perceived by folks inside the process as a well-managed fishery," explains Daniel Waldeck, executive director of the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC), which represents three major companies fishing for hake, sometimes called whiting, in the north east Pacific.
They were also inspired by the experience of the U.S. pollock fishery off the coast of Alaska, which demonstrated that there might be economic benefits from an independent assessment of fishery management practices.
"One motivation was to provide a degree of reassurance to seafood buyers and retail outlets that the hake fishery was stable," says Jan Jacobs, PWCC president.
What sets us apart
Here are a few of the steps the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery has taken towards sustainable fishing:
- Ending the ‘race for fish’ has reduced discards and bycatch
- Rational harvesting management system has existed in the fishery's catcher-processor sector since 1997; spreading to other sectors in 2011
- Hard caps on the amount of bycatch protect vulnerable non-target species
- Very little impact on bottom impact due to mid-water trawl
- Ongoing commitment to improving management strategy and developing ecosystem plan
Environmental benefits of MSC certification
In 1997, long before MSC certification was even considered, the catcher processor sector of the hake fishery created a harvesting cooperative which allowed them to manage their fishing operations at an individual vessel and company level, and essentially eliminated the 'race for fish' system.
"The 'race for fish' quota management system forced vessels to fish as fast as possible to secure the largest share of the single quota pool, resulting in waste, unnecessary costs and safety risks," explains Jacobs. "But under the co-op system, vessels were able to target the most desirable schools of fish, catch only what could be processed into the highest quality products, and avoid areas with elevated rates of non-target species."
In order to reduce impacts on non-target species, fishery-wide bycatch 'hard caps' on the amount of bycatch for species like rockfish and salmon were allocated to each of the three different sectors of the hake fishery – vessels who deliver their catch to shoreside processors, vessels who deliver it to at-sea motherships for processing, and catcher-processor vessels. This has allowed for more focused management, customised to the specific fishing behaviour of the vessels in each sector.
"That was a pretty prescriptive and difficult management imposition on the fishery, but the fishermen took it to heart and changed their behaviour in a lot of ways. Reducing bycatch of rockfish became a primary goal of the fishery," says Waldeck. "Typically these bycatch caps are preventative measures, so we may approach them but, in general, we haven't exceeded them."
As an example of how conservative these caps are, Jacobs points out that the hard cap on canary rockfish bycatch is only 4.7 metric tonnes while the allowable harvest of hake is in the range of 200,000-300,000 MT annually. "So for most of these bycatch species we're talking about a small fraction of one per cent of what we're allowed to catch."
And the fact that vessels fish for hake in the water column, rather than along the seafloor means there is very little impact to bottom habitat.
How else does MSC certification benefit the environment?
Economic benefits of MSC certification
Certification has helped the fishery both reach new markets and expand its reach in current ones.
"MSC certification of the Pacific hake fishery has reassured seafood
buyers around the world that the fishery is stable and sustainably
managed. This has been an important issue for many seafood companies,
and what we’re hearing is that they now feel comfortable in pursuing new
Pacific hake product promotions featuring the MSC logo," explains
Jacobs. "And we’re excited to see that this is the case not only in Europe, where the MSC is very important, but also in Asia as well as in the U.S."
How else does MSC certification improve economic prospects for fisheries?
Social benefits of MSC certification
Though it existed long before MSC certification, the catch share
system in the catcher-processor sector has translated into longer
fishing seasons, which has resulted in some social benefits.
"With a slower pace of fishing, seasons now last months instead of weeks. So the crew
are employed over a longer period of time now, and with higher quality
products and increased product yields, crew wages are positively
affected. Working conditions and safety have improved as well," says Jacobs.
Looking ahead...
The fishery is currently evaluating its management strategy to ensure
it is reactive enough to stock levels and, likely within the next year
or so, will have in place an ecosystem plan that will take into account the interplay of the hake fishery and the ecosystem.
Learn more at the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative website
Get recipes for sustainable fish dishes
Find MSC labelled products from this fishery
More about MSC certified fisheries and fish
The article above was written by an independent journalist commissioned by the MSC to find out how MSC certification has helped this fishery.
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