- 6 April: postponements of the MSC site visit for the Northeastern Tropical Pacific Purse Seine yellowfin and skipjack tuna fishery.
- 14 April: SAI Global, the CAB for the Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab trap fishery, announced that whilst the certificate for the fishery has been extended until 9 April 2023, the certification remains suspended due to bycatch of endangered North Atlantic right whales.
- There is a 6-month extension on assessments & certification timelines, but those that wish to go ahead with remote audits and existing timelines can do so if feasible and agreed with CABs.
- Chain Custody audits can still be conducted remotely, but if this is not possible, then a 6-moth extension can be requested.
- Measures will remain in places until 27 September 2020. MSC expects normal auditing processes will resume after then.
While we agree that these are necessary changes under difficult circumstances, we are concerned that this means conditions on some fisheries will have to be extended, audits will be remote only, and normal assessment timelines could be difficult for stakeholders dealing with the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. We will keep an eye on this.
