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| Striving for sustainability - but at what cost? |
A question - Does MSC ecolabelling sometimes destroy fish value ?
Here's a recent post (on the LinkedIn CFP Reform pages) from Breton fisheries consultant Yan Giron - it highlights the perception problems of attaching hige imprtance to MSC labelling to the detriment of fish without the benfits of such labelling - using a recent example with the accreditation of normand lobster - a joint collaborative project between Breton and Jersey shellfishermen in the Channel.
"Well this has little to do with CFP reform, except dealing with the subject of selectivity and the way fishing industry effort to improve their practices is sometimes so little communicated to final consummers. I am sure that this post will create an avalanche of angry contributions of warmest supporters of ecolabelling, trying to burn the new witches: stubborn professional fishermen.
But let's have a look to this little example of Normand Lobster - and think about the self new proclamation from MSC that they improve fishing conditions. Recently The French and Jersey lobster fishery gained their MSC certification (Normand lobster).
Two main points on this fishery: As any inshore coastal fishery, it was regulated for ages by coastal licences, fully managed by professional fishermen. In early 1990s, they promoted, on their own a new fishing gear, a parlour trap. The parlour pot works thus, a hole is opended on one side of the trap to enable lobster juveniles to escape from it - simple. This innovation was designed, financed and implemented fully on behalf of Jersey and French fishermen alike in 1994. This lobster is well known from very profitable markets of coastal consummers, which absorb all the production. Maybe the professionals wanted to be one of the first in France to complete a MSC certification of coastal fishery.
MSC went and said : "we are a marketing initiative aiming to promote your practices when they are responsible. And now all Europe has to be under MSC ecolabelling. If you don't want to loose your market, you don't have the choice.What can we do to help you ?".
So fishermen started the process of a certification for lobster, payed the fee of the evaluation (I don't have the precise price, around €10.000), and received the Holy Grail. The official delivering of the ecolabel meeting was a good play, everybody congratulates the 3 fishermen officials (only) who attempted the play : "at last, you become responsible fishermen, thanks to MSC". The result? No new market for the lobster. No changes on at sea practices. Less €10.000 in the wallet.
More and more new bitter fishermen start now to have heavy doubts on our French coasts: virtually, we could certificate nearly all our coastal fisheries. People try to make them think this is a sense of history. But they have to substitute their traditionnal good fame, local markets, profitable ones, to this new era credo: ecolabel, designated for urban markets of people who poorly know our products and finally won't pay that much for them. Our politicians, subjugated by efficient lobbyists, or maybe by fear of their campaignist put the pressure on our local fishermen committee to promote their practices.
So, this is the French fishermens' message:
- They don't want to have people to come and pretend to help them and after gain on fishermen' back the fame of continuous efforts of responsible coastal fisheries management.
- They don't want to have to pay for that.
- They don't want to substitute their traditionnal efficient marketing image to these ecolabels.
- They don't want to think like urbans and use their marketing tools.
- They have no problems to sell their products and most of their coastal fishing stock are well managed and in good health.
If there is so little ecolabel in France, it is not because they are not bad fishermen and because they cannot gain from it, it is because they don't need them. Surely it is just a small example which may not destroy all the work done by MSC and their business, but I always enjoy these little talks on board. Enjoy them too."
Responses to Yan's observations welcomed - there may be many UK fishermen who work in similar fashion around the coast who also feel that MSC accreditation will not add any significant benefit to their operations and concur with this view. Chef, restauranter and fishmonger Mitch Tonks would certainly have a view on this scenario given his article posted a few days ago - http://blog.through-the-gaps.co.uk/2012/02/worst-fish-restaurant-chef-and.html
