The Australian mackerel icefish fishery was certified as meeting the MSC's sustainability standards in April 2006 when it became the first Australian finfish to achieve sustainable certification.

The icefish is native to Antarctic waters of an average temperature of 2 degrees Celsius (your fridge is about 4 degrees Celsius). The icefish thrives in the cold and relies on the production of a unique chemical that works like anti-freeze to survive in the freezing waters. The icefish is also widely known for the absence of red blood cells. Many consider this pale looking fish a delicacy with an appearance similar to that of whiting.

'We are delighted to be measured against the rigorous, internationally recognised MSC Standard to validate our sustainable fishery and its good management.'

David Carter
CEO, Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd

“At a time when the world’s fisheries are coming under increasing pressure from overfishing, the icefish fishery is a leading example of how fisheries can be sustainably managed.”

Greg Bourne
CEO, WWF-Australia

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

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• The species is very easily identified by all resource users and managers and the distribution of the stock is also well understood an document. This makes management easy and relevant.
• The estimates on removals associated with the Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) icefish fishery are excellent. Accurate catch data are recorded for the HIMI fishery, on a haul by haul basis, for the target species and all other species within the HIMI fishery.
  

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

• The Australian Territory of HIMI lies in a remote and stormy part of the globe, near the conspicuous meeting-point of Antarctic and temperate ocean waters. The area includes a World Heritage Area, including the islands and the 12 nm marine zone around them, and a Marine Reserve. The nature of the fishing activities (including the nature and extent of gear, gear loss etc) and characteristics of the fishery are adequately known for ecosystem assessment purposes.
• There is a detailed knowledge of the types of gear used in the fishery, including fine-scale details of places and times of gear deployment of each type, for use in management to reduce the risk of fishing impacts on threatened, protected, or ‘icon’ species.
  

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The management system and the conduct of the fishery are fully compliant with the conservation measures set by CCAMLR. There are no controversial exemptions in place. The fishery is also managed and conducted in a manner that observes and respects legal and customary rights of people dependent on fishing. 

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: 

• The client should provide evidence that a comprehensive review has been or is being undertaken regarding appropriate Limit Reference Points for the Icefish fishery.  Evidence should be provided that the LRPs used meet the AFMA requirements (are appropriate for maintaining both ecologically viable stocks of the target species and an ecologically sustainable fishery), are appropriate for the biology of the icefish stock and takes into account available knowledge of fishery impacts on non-target species and the ecosystem.
• The management system must be improved to contain criteria for assessing when a stock within the fishery is overfished, the strategies to be adopted when the stock is classified as overfished, and the conditions under which an overfished (stock or) fishery is considered to have recovered.

The fishery:  Unit of certification

The certified Australia mackerel icefish fishery is defined as:

Surveillance audits: First certification period 2006-2011

Surveillance 4: Commenced April 2010

Surveillance No.4 - 6th July 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance audit planned - 27th April 2010

Surveillance 3: Completed August 2009

Surveillance No.3 - 3rd August 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance audit planned - 26th March 2009

Surveillance 2: Completed August 2008

Surveillance No.2 - 23rd September 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance No. 2 - 7 March 2008

Surveillance 1: Completed March 2008

Surveillance No.1 - 6 November 2007

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance No. 1 - 30 May 2007

Initial assessment: Certified 31 March 2006

Certificates: Compliance with the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable fishing

Certificate of compliance SCS-MFCP-C-0016 (extended) - Valid 31st March 2006 to 30th June 2011

Stage 7: Objections procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

Public certification report - 19 April 2006

Stakeholder Notification: Public certification report and certificate issued - 22 September 2005

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination - 8 July 2005

Final report with amendments - 23 September 2005

Stage 5: Public review of the draft assessment report

Public comment draft report - 8 April 2005

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers confirmed - 18 February 2005

Stage 3: Information gathering, stakeholder meetings and scoring

Stakeholder Notification: Site visits scheduled - 30 September 2003

Stage 2: Building the assessment tree

Final assessment tree - 24 December 2003

Draft assessment tree - 23 November 2003

Stakeholder Notification: Draft assessment tree released for comment - 23 November 2003

Stage 1: Fishery announcement and assessment team formation

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team announced - 8 October 2003

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated - 19 September 2003

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment - 19 September 2003

Reassessment

Stage 7: Objections procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

Public certification report - 21st June 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Issuance of public certification report - 21st June 2011

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination - 19th May 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Final report and determination  - 19th May 2011

Stage 5: Pubic review of the draft assessment report

Public Comment Draft Report - 5th April 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Public comment draft report released - 5th April 2011

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Revised assessment timeline - 24th March 2011

Variation response: Certificate duration - 24th March 2011

Variation request: Certificate duration  - 24th March 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers proposed - 16th December 2010

Stage 3: Information gathering, stakeholder meetings and scoring

Stakeholder Notification: Site visit scheduled - 27th April 2010

Stage 2: Building Performance Indicators and Scoring Guideposts

Stakeholder Notification: Intent to use the Default Assessment Tree - 7th April 2010

Stage 1: Announcement and assessment team formation

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated - 7th April 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Announcement of full re-assessment - 7th April 2010

Reassessment timeline - 7th April 2010

Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd

PO Box 280
6915  Mt Hawthorn
Western Australia
AUSTRALIA
Tel.+61 (0)8 9202 2444
Fax.+61 (0)8 9443 7750

Contact: David Carter
dcarter@newfish.com.au

Certification Body

Scientific Certification Systems, Inc.

2200 Powell Street, Suite 600
Emeryville,
California 94608,
USA

Contact: Sabine Daume
Email: sdaume@scscertified.com
Phone: 510 452 6388
Fax: 510 452 6884

www.scscertified.com

Certified as sustainable in March 2006 and Re-certified in June 2011.

Summary

Species: Australia mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari)
Location: The coasts of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Fishing methods: Bottom and midwater trawl
Number of fisheries:  1

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More about mackerel icefish

Mackerel icefish are short lived and fast growing with variable recruitment. They grow to about 66 cm and can weigh up to 2 kg. Juveniles and adults form large aggregations are predominantly in the demersal to mid-water range. Sexual maturation occurs at 22-26 cm (3-4 years).

More about the fishing methods

The fishing method is demersal and pelagic trawling. Trawl nets are limited to a minimum mesh size of 90 mm when targeting mackerel icefish to enable juvenile fish to escape the net.

Fishery tonnage

1,200 tonnes