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Marine Life & Conservation

Fisheries Observer reports of shark and whale abuse still ignored

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A new investigation by UK charityShark Guardian has revealed that fishery observer reports of shark, ray, dolphin, and whale abuse on Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified vessels are still routinely ignored.

Shark Guardian first exposed these negligent and illegal practices in the Western Central Pacific Ocean in May 2022, but a lack of meaningful investigation demonstrates that the MSC ‘Blue Tick’ seal of sustainability has ongoing systemic problems.

Shark Guardian’s new report ‘Behind the MSC Blue Tick’, is the result of an investigation into further unreleased fishery observer data, (2017-2021) obtained from whistleblowers.

The report identifies a total of 330 incidents of shark, ray, dolphin, and cetacean interaction that took place on MSC-certified vessels. In most of these cases, these species of special interest were mistreated. 47 out of these incidents occurred during MSC-eligible sets.

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT HERE: https://tinyurl.com/yeyus4mj

By-catch species and target catch species fate

Brendon Sing, Co-Founder of Shark Guardian said: “Way more needs to be done to ensure that those who consider themselves the arbiters of ocean sustainability are themselves held to the highest standard. If the MSC’s seal of sustainability cannot be trusted, then what is the actual point? Enough is enough. The dirt we’ve uncovered with our two reports over the last twelve months deserves more than lip service from the MSC. They must stop using the service of rotten auditors.”

This report exposes severely compromised management of MSC-certified fisheries in key areas, including:

  • MSC-certified vessels deliberately setting their nets around live whales, dolphins and whale sharks
  • MSC-certified vessels’ officers and crew using their auxiliary boats to try to scare a whale trapped inside a net into breaking free, instead of ceasing fishing operations and safely releasing the whale
  • Regular Illegal, Unlicenced and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the form of unreported fishing by MSC-certified vessels; discrepancies in reporting target and non-target bycatch species
  • High grading of catch by MSC-certified vessels
  • MSC-certified vessels engaged in FAD fishing during drifting FAD closure period
  • Interference in observer duty on MSC-certified vessels
  • Marine pollution on MSC-certified vessels
  • Mistreatment of vessel crew on MSC-certified vessels

In following up the industry response to their previous report, Shark Guardian found that Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), the independent auditors monitoring the MSC standard, failed to identify numerous issues raised by observers.

Alex Hofford, Shark Guardian’s Marine Wildlife Campaigner believes the MSC only cares about their bottom line. He said: “We fail to understand how a CAB can assess any fishery against the MSC Fisheries Standard without observer reports being examined, even in the most cursory way. The MSC’s ‘business-as-usual’ attitude suggests they still approve ‘blue tick’ sustainability certificate requests from destructive fisheries, including fisheries that use indiscriminate and harmful drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs), which is unbelievable considering how unsustainable dFADs actually are.”

Example of sharks being left unattended

The MSC is supposed to guarantee that any fish sold with the ‘Blue Tick’ is genuinely sustainable. Shark Guardian is concerned that these findings continue to undermine its credibility.

“The MSC must urgently assert its influence to improve reporting practices and the enforcement of existing regulations. The arrogance and lack of rigour from the CABs is shocking. They should take observers’ reports much more seriously and act upon them. Instead, they seem to quietly put them aside,” said Hofford.

Shark Guardian’s May 2022 report ‘Slipping Through the Net: Reported but Ignored’ exposed a seafood industry turning a blind eye to the significant and meticulous reporting efforts undertaken by its observers. Shark Guardian’s latest ‘Behind the MSC Blue Tick’ report shows that little has changed.

Following the May 2022 report, Assurances Services International (ASI) launched an investigation and pledged to develop a new framework for auditing processes. Their investigation found three ‘minor nonconformities’ and three ‘opportunities for improvement’ for Acoura Limited (trading as Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), and one ‘minor nonconformity’ and two ‘opportunities for improvement’ for SCS Global. Both CABs were exposed in Shark Guardian’s last investigation, and without proper sanctions, ASI’s findings are effectively just a slap on the wrist for the CABs.

Brendon Sing said: “We found that CABs failed to follow up on numerous problems reported by observers and made no attempt to interview whistle-blower observers. Without interviewing observers, who are the ‘eyes and ears’ of civil society on the ocean –the CABs have failed in their duty.”

The fact that fishery observer reports are routinely disregarded in the MSC’s sustainability certification process is reflected in the launch of three major ‘class action’ lawsuits by the United States consumers, including one against American retail giant Walmart for false claims of seafood sustainability. The MSC is implicated in this legal action, and their sustainability credentials are being questioned. US legal filings in Illinois and California reveal allegations that products labeled with the MSC’s ‘Blue Tick’ falsely indicate that those products have been sourced via sustainable fishing practices which do not harm marine wildlife.

Example of high grading the catch during fish transfer between wells

Shark Guardian’s new report shows that the business-as-usual attitude by CABs and the MSC is not only harming nature but also the sustainable seafood movement. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), observer programmes, nation states, and the MSC, should all work together to ensure that valuable advances in the sustainable management of tuna fisheries are not compromised by negligence, non-compliance, and corruption.

Auditing practices and observer data flow must ensure that observer reports are not ignored. Without accurate reporting and reliable reporting procedures, buyers, stakeholders, and consumers have no guarantee that MSC-certified fish from tuna fisheries in the WCPFC is genuinely sustainable.

For more information, please visit: https://www.sharkguardian.org/

Press release and photos – Shark Guardian

Jeff is a multiple award winning, freelance TV cameraman/film maker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world's oceans and their conservation that hold his passion with over 10.000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the 'Underwater Action Camera' course for the RAID training agency. Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life, witnessing, first hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time. Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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