Area 21 (Atlantic, Northwest)

Redfish were designated threatened in 2010 but the stock is currently healthy after a decade of management within biological reference points. The fishery is managed with an integrated management plan for groundfish fisheries and overall is a near match to the MSC standard.  However, the fishery needs further improvement in its impacts on pollock, haddock, and other commercially fished species as well as benthic (seafloor dwelling) and endangered or threatened species caught in the bottom trawl gear. Fishery impacts on habitat and the ecosystem could also be better understood and mitigated.

The average size of redfish in the fishery catch-at-length has been increasing since 2011, and the percentage of immature fish (≤ 22 cm FL) in the catch-at-length has remained less than the 15% tolerance since 2014. The DFO Summer RV Survey results indicate that the total and mature Unit 3 Redfish biomass has remained relatively stable since 2018 at levels comparable to the 1990s. The mature biomass index has never fallen below the LRP, and the stock has been above the USR since 2004, indicating the stock is in the Heathy Zone (DFO 2021).

Since 2000 it has had a total allowable catch of 9000 tonnes. Total landings have generally been less than half this amount over the past 18 years (DFO 2019). The status of Unit 3 Redfish is determined solely by the mature biomass index generated from the annual DFO Summer RV Survey with complete coverage of the Unit 3 stock area (except in 2018). The fishery is managed by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) under the latest version (2017) of the Groundfish Integrated Fishery Management Plan for the Maritimes Region.

The Eastern Virginia oyster fishery occurs in the coastal areas of Virginia and targets the species Crassostrea virginica. There are five UoAs, based on harvest method and hatchery and non-hatchery stocks. This fishery is enhanced based on MSC FCP v2 7.4, and not based on introduced species. 

The UoAs are :

• UoA 1:  Tongs and patent tongs from habitat enhanced areas with natural spat set and seed transfers.
• UoA 2:  Dredges and hand scrapes from habitat enhanced areas with natural spat set and seed transfers.
• UoA 3:  Tongs and Patent tongs from habitat enhanced areas with hatchery seed transfers plus natural spat set.
• UoA 4:  Dredges and hand scrapes from habitat enhanced areas with wild stock hatchery seed transfers plus natural spat set.
• UoA 5:  Cage production with wild stock hatchery seed transfers.

The Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Lobster Pot FIP was initially started by Quin Sea Fisheries Limited of St. John’s, NL and has since been adopted for implementation and financial management by the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) of Newfoundland and Labrador, also of St. John’s, NL. ASP is an association comprised of numerous lobster buyers, live traders, and producers.  ASP is also intricately involved in production and marketing of several other commercial species within the province.

Interested ASP member companies, as FIP participants, will collaborate with the regulator, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), to align and improve the fishery’s management and science with the ultimate objective of achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery sustainability certification.

The FIP intends to address all fishing practices in the legally permitted pot fishery for American lobster (Homarus americanus) in Lobster Fishing Areas 3 - 14, which operates in the waters surrounding the island of Newfoundland, completely within Canadian EEZ waters.

The fishery dates back to the 1870s and is localized and happens from small open boats during an 8-10 week spring fishing season. Traps are set close to shore, at depths generally less than 20 m. Fishing effort is controlled through restrictive licensing and daily trap limits. Regulations prohibit the harvest of undersized (i.e. <82.5 mm carapace length) and ovigerous animals. In addition, there is a voluntary practice called v-notching, which involves cutting a shallow mark in the tail fan of an ovigerous female. The mark is retained for at least 2-3 molts and notched females cannot be retained in the fishery. The practice thus serves to protect proven spawners even when they are not carrying eggs externally. The number of licenses is currently around 2,450 and trap limits range from 100 to 300 depending on the Lobster Fishing Area (DFO 2016).

The EU surface longline fleet has been concentrating efforts on the implementation of national and regional strategies for the conservation of their target species including measures such as minimizing incidental catches, collaborating with the scientific community, and finning bans.

In 2014, an MSC pre-assessment was conducted for all swordfish and blue shark stocks, and in 2016, the fishery was close to meeting the MSC standard for north and south Atlantic swordfish. Focus on improvements for all the fleet operations moved towards promoting the creation of a FIP for all swordfish (Xiphias gladius ) and blue shark (Prionace glauca ) stocks for the North and South Atlantic Ocean, the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

The industry community recently created the ANECTEAM association to work together with the EU surface longline fleet. ANECTEAM is focused on getting visibility and recognition from the consumers, raising public and environmental NGO opinions about efforts to boost sustainability, encouraging distribution chains to purchase the fishery's products, and increasing recognition at the international level of a sustainable industry and fleet that is allowed to trade in fins and shark meat. This FIP represents 4 shipowners' associations (90 % catches EU fleet), 14 supply chain companies (80 % UE), and 160 fishing vessels (95% of EU fishing vessels in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans).

Due to their migratory nature and extensive distribution throughout several oceans, the management of swordfish and blue shark is carried out internationally by RFMOs (ICCAT, IOTC, IATTC, and WCPFC) through a system of catch totals (TAC)

Based on the MSC pre-assessment for the North and South Atlantic Spanish longline fishery in 2014 and a MSC full assessment in 2016 for swordfish, previously conducted, the scoring was updated in 2019 following the last MSC standard 2018; a new scoring was also carried out for blue shark according to last ICCAT assessment for BSH conducted in 2015 -edited in 2017- and mako shark for Principe 2 in 2017 (see full information in the Scoping Doc). A number of Performance Indicators (Pis) were scored so that the fishery would fail under a full MSC assessment (SG <60) and required conditions for other PIs (SG 60-79). The general objective is to increase the PIs (scored <60 or 60-79) to SG>80.

The FIP Blues has been originally designed to be implemented in three oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. The present FIP will start by implementing the actions in the Atlantic ocean since the full MSC Assesment was focused on these fisheries, both north and south stocks. At the same time, in the subsequent years after the beginning of the tasks for the Atlantic, we will develop the Work Plan Action for the other oceans´ swordfish and blue shark fisheries.