The information below is from the SharkGuardian web page.
Over the last few months, Shark Guardian investigators have been busy digging out evidence of systematic shark finning taking place in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). What we dug out is nothing less than shocking.
Our main finding is that observers on board fishing boats in the WCPO are having their official reports of shark finning incidents and other malpractices routinely ignored by the authorities, and that these incidents have been occurring in a systematic way – even on board vessels certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). We also found that as well as observer reports on the decimation of sharks being ignored, observer reports on manta rays, whales and dolphins caught as by-catch are also being ignored.
Other critical incidents highlighted in our new report include:
- Fishing boats deliberately setting their nets around schools of tuna associated with live whales or whale sharks
- Inappropriate treatment of Species of Special Interest (SSI), including cetaceans, whale sharks and manta rays caught inside nets and landed on deck dead or dying due to negligence
- A helicopter illegally dumped at sea
- Violations of observer rights
- Fishing on highly environmentally destructive Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) during specified FAD closure period
- High grading (discarding the on-board catch to make room for better quality, larger size fish or for more marketable species)
- Discrepancies in daily catch and effort reporting by the vessel
Also of note, the MSC has published their reaction to the report, and stated that Assurance Services International (ASI) will be investigating the claims made in the report.They also noted that ‘if a vessel is convicted of shark finning, it is banned from MSC certification for at least two years. In addition, if there is evidence of shark finning detected during the audit carried out by independent assessors, then the vessel must be expelled from the MSC certificate.’
Our thoughts: It is of course very concerning to see that these types of activities are taking place on MSC certified vessels. This confirms that observers are essential to provide evidence and that MSC certified vessels appear to still be involved in shark finning, are not practicing best handling guidelines for the release of ETP species or even complying with the legal requirements. The response from MSC is also disappointing and defers responsibility to CABs and relies on ASI to investigate whether CABs have failed to investigate activities taking place on these vessels. It should be MSC taking responsibility for activities taking place on vessels in their program, and not relying solely on CABs‘ expertise.
