The Russian Pollock Catchers Association (RPCA) on Tuesday responded to accusations that the Sea of Okhotsk and West Bering Sea pollock fisheries in Russia’s Far East are poorly managed.
The accusations were made by World Wildlife Fund-Russia, which in February issued a statement commending RPCA’s move toward responsible fishing methods but insisting that more progress is necessary.
“The Sea of Okhotsk and West Bering Sea Pollock fisheries are now amongst the most actively regulated and well managed fisheries in the world and must not be confused with out-of-date perceptions,” said RPCA Chairman German Zverev.
The pollock fisheries are currently undergoing Marine Stewardship Council assessment, and since the process began the RPCA has worked to improve the transparency of its fisheries management system, with support from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and key stakeholders, including Birds Eye Iglo, Findus Group, Frosta, High Liner Foods and Royal Greenland, explained Zverev.
Following the Vladivostok International Fishery Congress in September, the RPCA and Birds Eye Iglo held a series of high-level meetings with the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (FFA) in Moscow to help explain the technical governance requirements of the MSC certification process. Then in November, the FFA issued for the first time a plan to guide all relevant agencies to make available any necessary fisheries data to help the RPCA. Much of this data, however, is available only in Russian and hasn’t been translated yet.
“It has been fascinating to watch the Russian fisheries management system unfold,” said Peter Hajipieris, chief technical and sustainability officer for Birds Eye Iglo. “There are very few Russian-speaking technical experts or assessors that are engaged in the MSC program. Most of them are English speaking, and the [RPCA] has experienced a real cultural disadvantage in progressing their MSC submission because of this.”
Added SFP CEO and founder Jim Cannon: “Over the past few years, the SFP … has provided guidance on options for tackling any IUU, strengthening monitoring and control, and improving transparency in fisheries science and management. We are greatly encouraged by the progress in recent years.”
