Small-scale fishers struggle to make sustainability claims on their products, but a new standard launched this month could help.
Following months of trials and testing, the social and environmental standard for small-scale fisheries – aka Community Catch – is an “affordable, accessible certification for small-scale fisheries” which offers “credible market recognition and sustainability incentives”.
The standard – founded on the FAO code of conduct for responsible fisheries and FAO voluntary guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries – spans biodiversity, fisheries management, climate change, community development, health and safety and labour rights.
M&S Food, Woolworths and World Wise Foods are among the early supporters of the standard. And there are now plans to work towards official recognition by GSSI, the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative, which is a requirement of many corporate buyers. The West of Scotland Fish Producers’ Association, which was involved in the trials, is now working towards having its Nephrops fisheries certified under the Community Catch standard.
Launching the standard at the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain, Community Catch co-founder Andy Hough, said the standard has been praised for its rigour and affordability. The initiative is “exclusively for small-scale fisheries”, he explained, and provides “the necessary support, guidance and tools to help them achieve improved market access through the demonstration of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible management of their fisheries”.
In April, a study led by Seas At Risk shed light on the “political economy” of the fisheries sector in Europe, revealing a system that “drives industrialisation and economic concentration to the detriment of more environmentally friendly practices and a fairer distribution of resources”. The research, also involving BUND, Ecologistas en Acción, Sciaena and Only One, showed that current use of the rules and the lack of implementation of some of them “benefit a privileged group of large-scale fishers at the expense of small-scale fishers and low-impact fishing practices”. Despite being mandated by law, key measures remain unenforced, the group said. “Policymakers must seize every opportunity to make European fisheries fairer and more sustainable,” added Seas At Risk senior fisheries policy officer Bruno Nicostrate.
The Common Fisheries Policy is currently undergoing a comprehensive evaluation, with findings expected next year. The European Commission will then decide whether to maintain the current legislation, amend specific fisheries regulations, or pursue a broader reform of the policy.
