Seafoodnews.com editor John Sackton commented yesterday about the need to recognise the positive progress made in reducing IUU and ensuring sustanable toothfish fishing.
See the video for ‘Time for toothfish to come off the red lists‘.
The transcript from the video is below.
Is it time to re-introduce toothfish to the US market (video)
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton – May 31, 2012
One of our stories today is that a second Austalian toothfish fishery has been certified by the MSC. This makes a total of 4 fisheries that are certified, accounting for 31% of all toothfish landings; and more certifications are on the way.
The key attribute for all of these MSC certifications is that stock removals are kept at the scientifically appropriate level. Environmentalists object to toothfish on two grounds: first that it is a long lived fish, and therefore they argue it is susceptible to overfishing. The second argument is that much of the toothfish trade is illegal IUU fish.
It is time to revisit these assumptions. As Ray Hilborn has said numerous times, and again today in one of our articles, sustainability is principally about strong management – meaning that stocks are monitored, and effective controls are in place to respond to any adverse changes. This is certainly the case with Australian toothfish.
The argument that just because a fish is long lived means it cannot be fished sustainably is not scientific, it is an emotional appeal. Science will support small and appropriate removals from even a long lived stock like toothfish.
The IUU argument is also outdated. Just like Barents Sea cod was able to eliminate rampant IUU fishing, so have the organizations in the Southern Ocean been able to do the same with toothfish.
A new scientific paper by H. Osterblom and O. Bodin in Conservation biology documents the effectiveness of CCAMLR – the international body that manages Antarctic Living Marine Resources, and also has high praise for COLTO- the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators – an industry group that the authors also credit with great success at eliminating IUU fishing.
The chart below (also shown in our video) is dramatic evidence of what has happened.
Graph of IUU toothfish catches
Figure 2. Estimated weight of toothfish caught by IUU fishing in the Southern Ocean. From
Österblom, H. and Bodin, Ö. (2012) Global Cooperation among Diverse Organizations to Reduce Illegal Fishing in the Southern Ocean. Conservation Biology Early view publication. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01850.x
Given the changes in this fishery, and the responsiveness of the industry in addressing real isuses, it is time for the red listers of the world to reconsider toothfish, and in particular chefs should no longer be afraid to offer this fish once again to their customers.
At a March ASMI seminar in New York at the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Ben Pollinger, Executive Chef of Oceana, told me toothfish was one of the most magnificent fish he had ever come across in his career. Pollinger is known for his commitment to sustainability, and perhaps it is now time for him, and other US chefs, to rethink toothfish once again.