Five commercially important species, including Karikadi shrimp, have been identified for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification from Kerala in a pre-assessment conducted by the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) in collaboration with the World Wide Fund (WWF) India and other research organisations.
Under two consortiums, the process is expected to move towards full assessment under different fishery improvement programmes (FIP). “Squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and two varieties of marine shrimp are the species identified. In the pre-assessment we found some gaps in different aspects, including fishery management, and these will be addressed through the two fishery improvement programmes,” says Vinod Malayilethu, Associate Director, Marine Conservation Programme, WWF-India.
“We feel that these five species can move towards full-assessment by 2024-25 and we have started stakeholder consultations as part of the process. Fishers are cooperating since they are currently experiencing a resource crunch and this comes as a major step towards building sustainability,” says Mr Malayilethu.
In order to get certified every fishery must satisfy the three core principles of MSC Fisheries Standard, including sustainable stocks. The exploitation must be environment-friendly so that it will not impact other species and habitats in the marine ecosystem. Effective fisheries management is also a crucial factor when it comes to improving and maintaining the stock status.
“Though the certification is voluntary, importing countries are demanding it. There are many countries that import certified products only and though it’s not mandatory now it will soon become a benchmark. Anticipating the situation, we should stay prepared,” says K.K. Appukuttan, marine fisheries expert and former scientist with Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
He says that currently yellow clam (Paphia malabarica) is India’s only MSC certified product. “In Tamil Nadu, the certification of export-oriented blue swimming crab is in the last stage. Many other States and Lakshadweep are also at the different stages of the process,” he says.
Since the products from a sustainable fishery will fetch premium price in global market, SEAI is keen to obtain the certification for multiple species with export value.
“The fishery improvement programme will be a gradual process that can be completed only with the cooperation of various stakeholders including the government. Sensitising the fishers and introducing sustainable fishing practices will be part of it,” he says.
Switching to a new harvesting strategy will require a lot of sensitisation, especially when most trawlers haul to shore a considerable volume of trash along with the catch.
“We understand that the certification will bring good export earnings, but we also require some feasible management options to keep the sector afloat. We have communicated our doubts and anxieties over eliminating bycatch since we have no system for that right now,” says Peter Mathias, president, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association.
