Western Australia Fisheries Minister Norman Moore announced on Thursday that the region’s rock lobster fishery has been recommended for recertification under the Marine Stewardship Council program.
The fishery was originally certified as sustainable in March 2000 — the world’s first harvest to earn the MSC eco-label — and was recertified in December 2006 as required by the MSC every five years.
“The MSC renewal of certification is a vote of confidence in how the state is managing our most valuable fishery,” said Moore.
“Following recent declines in puerulus (juvenile lobster) settlement and tough decisions by the state government to cut fishing levels, the MSC insisted on an unprecedented complete rescoring of the way it applied certification,” he added. “It is my understanding that the MSC was fully satisfied that the rock lobster fishery continues to meet its stringent standards of management and overall stock viability. This endorsement reflects the government’s tough decisions to protect the long-term sustainability and economic viability of the fishery.”
This week, Moore imposed additional closures on the rock lobster fishery to keep the catch from exceeding the 5,500-metric-ton seasonal limit.
According to the MSC Web site, the fishery yields about 10,750 metric tons of lobster annually; Western Australia rock lobster is the most valuable single-species fishery in Australia, representing about 20 percent of the total value of the country’s fisheries.
The product’s primary export markets Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the United States.
