Wild fish and other aquatic organisms as feed in aquaculture in the Americas 185
The MSC would house and oversee a programme whereby fisheries conforming to a
set of predetermined criteria for sustainable fishing would be eligible for certification
by independent, MSC-accredited certifying firms. Products from fisheries certified to
MSC standards could carry an on-pack logo, providing consumers with the choice of
selecting seafood products that come from sustainably managed sources.
In the very early stages of the MSC initiative, Unilever and WWF recognized that
a technically sound and widely accepted set of criteria on which to base certification
decisions would be of critical importance to the success of the MSC certification
programme. To this end, in September of 1996, they initiated a process of broad
consultation aimed at ensuring that the development of the MSC and its proposed
certification programme would be as fully informed as possible by the full range of
individuals and organizations with expertise and interest in fisheries sustainability.
The primary goal of the consultative process was to arrive at a widely accepted set
of Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing that could be used as the basis for
the certification programme. However, the process was also designed to accomplish a
number of additional goals.
The consultative process was conducted in three phases. The purpose of the first
phase was to develop a preliminary set of Draft Principles and Criteria for Sustainable
Fishing that would provide a starting point for engaging in broader consultation. This
was accomplished by the convening of a small group of internationally renowned
experts in marine fisheries for three days in Bagshot, United Kingdom in September
- This group drew heavily on the wealth of existing internationally recognized
documents dealing with fisheries sustainability, as well as on their own combined
expertise and experience, in achieving consensus on a set of Draft Principles and
Criteria for Sustainable Fishing.
The second phase of consultation consisted of a series of eight two-day workshops
around the world through which MSC sponsors sought to introduce local and
regional stakeholders to the MSC initiative, to gain an understanding of their different
perspectives and to gather feedback. Workshop participants represented individual
fishers; commercial fishing industries; seafood buyers, processors and retailers;
government regulatory authorities; government and academic scientists; economists;
independent certifiers; conservation groups; indigenous peoples and other interested
parties.
The third phase of this process involved the revision of the Bagshot Draft Principles
and Criteria at an intensive three-day workshop held in Virginia, United States of
America. Participants were drawn from among the original drafters of the Bagshot
draft and from several of the regional workshops. Working from a summary of
the recommendations from all of the regional workshops, supplemented by some
preliminary “lessons-learned” from the early stages of several test cases, this group of
experts was able to reach agreement on revisions to the Draft Principles and Criteria.
Overall, the goals of the 1996–1997 consultative process were met. It resulted in a
revised set of Draft Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing and provided the
MSC with important insight into the issues and concerns that must be considered in
the ongoing planning for and implementation of the MSC certification programme in
order for it to be credible and supportable. The MSC, now established as independent
from its founding sponsors, has a working set of Principles and Criteria for sustainable
fishing (http://eng.msc.org) that were developed with input from potential stakeholders
around the world and by consensus of a representative group of noted experts.
4.2.2 Fishmeal Information Network (FIN) initiative and activities
FIN is an initiative of the international Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA),
which represents more than 800 suppliers of fishmeal, other animal feed ingredients,
grain, pulses and rice in more than 80 countries. GAFTA aims to promote international