Letters: Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers say Russian IUU crab remains a major problem, is not solved SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Letters] Nov. 3, 2014 Dear Mr. Sackton, I am writing today on behalf of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC). We appreciate the opportunity to provide some comments regarding your October 15, 2014 statement that ABSC is gearing up for a major push to highlight IUU crab and your October 17, 2014 comments regarding the recently released report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) focused on Russian IUU crab. (See WWF report on illegal Russian crab is mostly focused on older data; says current conditions improving Oct 17) Let me be clear, we are not gearing up for a major push to highlight IUU crab as you suggest. We have been geared up for several years, trying to educate policymakers on the economic and conservation impacts from IUU Russian crab. We have worked with the highly respected economic research firm McDowell Group of Juneau, Alaska to better understand the magnitude of illegal Russian crab exports. We have conducted our own independent research to increase our understanding of how illegal product makes its way through the global supply chain. We have worked with Members of Congress to help them better understand the issue. We have worked with Executive Branch agencies to seek better enforcement of existing laws and to understand where the gaps are in enforcement and investigative authority so we can close those loopholes. We have worked at the international level through direct talks with the Russian government. We have an ongoing dialogue with our Russian industry counterparts in the Far East and are highly supportive of their efforts to address this problem internally. We have worked with non-governmental organizations to make sure their solutions to the IUU problem are not overly aspirational and dont impede the flow of legal product through the supply chain. And we have begun to work with distributors, retailers and food service professionals to make sure they understand the problem so they may act responsibly. Clearly we are not just gearing up on this issue. Weve been geared up and will stay geared up as long as the problem of IUU Russia crab persists. This brings me to my second point. Your statement that IUU Russian crab is not a problem that has disappeared, but it is a problem that is being successfully managed does not hold water. While I will happily concede the volume of IUU Russian crab available on the world market is a far cry from the high-water years 2005-2007, the aforementioned McDowell Group analysis estimates that in 2013 the discrepancy between the official Russian harvest figures and their exports was nearly 99 million pounds. And as you mention, we continue to see evidence of illegal fishing in 2014 with the arrest and seizure of several vessels. However, those arrests and seizures may be a drop in the bucket compared to the ones that got away. If that is a problem that is being successfully managed I would contend that we have a different definition of success. That lead s to my third point. I will also very happily concede that Russia has entered into agreements with several nations to better combat the IUU problem. The most notable of these agreements is with Japan. But an agreement isnt worth the paper its printed on if it isnt effective. As you mention in your comments the agreement will be fully implemented this December. Before jumping to the conclusion that the issue will be solved once the agreement is in place, we should give it some time and let the numbers speak for themselves. Early indicators are that landings into Japan have declined significantly. Obviously we are happy with these early indicators, but before we pack up and call it a day, lets also keep an eye on South Korea and China to make sure the IUU product isnt simply re-directed to those countries. Finally, I will also happily concede that Russia has made several changes to their domestic law to better address the issue of IUU crab. But those laws are relatively new and have not stood the test of time. Like the aforementioned agreements, it will be several years before we are able to gauge their effectiveness. So claiming victory now is premature at best. I applaud the significant effort on the part of the Russian Far East Crab Catchers Association to lobby the Russian government for many of these changes to domestic law. And I applaud the Russian government for taking these bold steps in an effort to regain some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue that are being stolen from the Russian people. But were still a ways out in terms of judging the efficacy of these efforts. In conclusion, Id like to briefly mention the WWF report. Like you, we think this report has both its strengths and weaknesses. While I dont plan to elaborate on either at this point, we are pleased that WWF has chosen to produce the report in the first place. There are many ENGOs engaged on the issue of IUU. But most of those efforts consider the issue as a global phenomenon rather than focusing in on specific, real-world examples. The WWF report is the first that Im aware of in recent years that really tries to drill down and take a focused approach. For that WWF should be commended. For decades the fishermen I represent have had to live with the market impacts caused by the flood of IUU crab coming out of Russia. These fishermen ask for nothing more than a level playing field. Until a level playing field has been achieved, we will continue to work towards that end. We hope importers, distributors, retailers, food service professionals, responsible producers in Russia, the Russian government, the US government, and the environmental community will choose to partner with us in that effort. Sincerely, Mark H. Gleason, Executive Director Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers John Sackton, Editor And Publisher SeafoodNews 1-781-861-1441 Email comments to jsackton@seafood Copyright © 2014 Seafoodnews
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 18:05:35 +0000
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