The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) on Thursday published its annual review of global wild salmon fisheries and found that half of the fish that hit the market come from “well or reasonably” managed fisheries while the remainder need significant improvements.
SFP’s assessment method, specific for Pacific salmon, covers 82 fisheries in the United States, Canada and Russia that target the five species: pink, chum, sockeye, coho and chinook) across the North Pacific. These fisheries account for 95 percent of the global commercial salmon harvest.
SFP rated fisheries as either category A, B or C depending on the quality of the management and the status of the stock. An A-category fishery is considered “very well managed” while a B-category fishery is considered to be “reasonably well managed.” A category-C fishery is considered to be poorly managed and in need of significant improvements.
“We hope the information in this report leads to an increase improvements in fisheries in the salmon sector and that the supply chain will continue to support fisheries undergoing improvements,” said Dave Martin, director of SFP’s Analysis Unit. “We support the closing of [Marine Stewardship Council] conditions in better-managed fisheries.”
The report concludes that:
- 52 percent of the total volume of Pacific salmon comes from well or reasonably managed fisheries (categories A and B). This includes 99 percent of coho, 87 percent of sockeye, 60 percent of pink, 48 percent of chinook, and 23 percent of chum salmon global harvest.
- 48 percent of the total volume of Pacific salmon comes from fisheries in need of significant improvements (category C). 22 percent is accounted for by Russian fisheries with illegal fishing issues; 13 percent by Japanese chum fisheries with hatchery issues; and 10 percent by Prince William Sound, Alaska, fisheries with hatchery issues.
- 74 percent of Alaska's, 95 percent of British Columbia's, and 47 percent of Russia's salmon harvest volumes come from well or reasonably managed fisheries.
- All of the Pacific Northwest United States and Japan fisheries included in this report need significant improvements.
- In 2013–2014, the salmon sector exhibited increased engagement in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) program. Over half (50.3%) of global supply now comes from fisheries either certified by or under full assessment by MSC.
- Scoring of category-C fisheries indicated four priority areas where improvements are needed: (1) illegal fishing, (2) hatcheries, (3) harvest control practices for depleted stocks and (4) offshore fisheries.
All fishery profiles can be found at www.fishsource.com.
