6. The WWF Endangered Seas Campaign


In late 1994, WWF recognized that much more needed to be done to reverse the global fisheries crisis. Accordingly, in mid-1995, WWF committed nearly US$1 million per year to a new, three-year campaign to promote the conservation and sustainable use of mar ine fishes worldwide. The goal of WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign is to halt and reverse the effects of overfishing on marine fishes and the ocean ecosystems on which they depend. WWF is working to build the necessary political will around the world to end chronic overfishing, restore devastated fisheries, improve management regimes, and reduce the use of destructive fishing gear and practices. The campaign has three principal targets:

  • To establish effective recovery plans for key threatened species-tunas, swordfish, marlins, and sharks-by the year 2000.

  • To create social and economic incentives for sustainable fishing by the year 2000.

  • To reduce or eliminate the bycatch of marine wildlife in commercial fishing operations by at least 50 per cent in each region by the year 2005.


Early Successes

In late 1995, WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign scored its first major victory when the United Nations opened for signature a new treaty that will govern world fisheries. WWF staff worked hard for three years to strengthen the text of this new agreement before it was adopted. The agreement paves the way for more sustainable fisheries, especially those on the high seas. For example, it embodies the precautionary approach, which requires fishery managers facing uncertainty to err on the side of the fish rather than the fishing industry. The new agreement also requires states to reduce bycatch, the wasteful killing of non-target species in commercial fisheries. WWF will be working to ensure that governments and regional organizations quickly ratify and implement the new treaty around the world.

In early 1996, WWF formed a conservation partnership with Unilever Corporation, a major buyer of frozen fish and manufacturer of the world's best known frozen fish products under such brands as Iglo, Birds Eye and Gorton's. The purpose of this partnership is to create economic incentives for sustainable fishing by establishing an independent Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) (see box on page 28). WWF seeks a new approach to ensure more effective management of marine fisheries. Unilever is interested in long-term fish stock sustainability to secure a future for its successful fish business. The motivations are different, but the objective is shared: to ensure the long-term viability of global fish populations and the health of the marine ecosystems on which they depend.

THE MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL INITIATIVE

Scheduled to be created sometime in 1997, the Marine Stewardship Council will be an independent, nonprofit, non-governmental membership body. The organization will establish a broad set of principles and criteria for sustainable fishing and set standards for individual fisheries. Only fisheries meeting these standards will be eligible for certification by independent, accredited certifying firms. Seafood companies will be encouraged to join sustainable buyers' groups and make commitments to purchase fish products only from certified sources. Ultimately, products from MSC-certified fisheries will be marked with an on-pack logo. This will allow seafood consumers to select fish products that come from sustainable, well-managed sources.

The MSC will be modeled on the successful Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), established by WWF, other conservation organizations, and the timber trade in 1993 to promote a market-led solution to the ongoing destruction of the world's forests. By the end of 1995, FSC-accredited companies had certified 20 forests comprising more than four million hectares as conforming to sustainable forestry practices. Perhaps more important, more than 100 timber companies and retailers worldwide had made commitments to purchase only FSC-certified timber.

A detailed scoping exercise will be the first step in creating the MSC. The purpose of this study will be to explore how we can successfully adapt the FSC model to address the specific sustainability needs of marine fisheries. A team of consultants will undertake the initial effort, coordinated by an independent project manager. A steering committee, on which WWF, other conservation organizations, and seafood companies will serve, will oversee the activities of the project team. The team will combine expertise in certification (or "eco-labeling") schemes such as the FSC with intimate knowledge of the commercial fishing industry. Team members will consult with a broad range of experts representing all stakeholders in marine fisheries. Together, the team will draft the broad set of principles for sustainable fishing that will form the underpinning of the MSC. The team will draw on the standards and guidelines embodied in existing international agreements, such as the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fish ing and the UN Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. In addition, the team will enlist new information and expertise in the fields of conservation biology, economics, seafood marketing, and commercial viability to help move current thinking forward.

WWF and the steering group will circulate the results of the scooping exercise and draft principles to a broad spectrum of stakeholders in fisheries: conservationists, fishers, seafood industry officials, fishery managers, law-makers, etc. The steering group will then sponsor an open series of national and regional consultants and workshops around the world. The purpose of these workshops will be to refine and strengthen the principles and develop a process for international implementation.

The creation of the Marine Stewardship Council has the potential to significantly alter worldwide fishing practices in favour of more sustainable, less destructive fisheries. When leading seafood companies such as Unilever make commitments to buy their fish products only from well-managed and MSC-certified fisheries, they will compel the fishing industry to modify their current practices. Governments, laws, and treaties aside, market forces (corporate buying practices) will begin to determine the means of fish production.


Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature