When the market helps: Standards, ecolabels and resource management systems in East Africa

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When the market helps Standards, ecolabels and
resource management systems in East Africa

• Stefano Ponte (DIIS), Reuben Kadigi (SUA) and
  Winnie Mitullah (Univ. of Nairobi)
• SAFE Final Conference, Zanzibar 31 May-1 June
  2010

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Objective of the paper

• Examine the role that standards and management
  practices play in maintaining a rewarding and
  sustainable export fish industry in East Africa
• Two steps
• Maintaining access to EU markets by complying
  with food safety standards
• Application of regulations, stndards, ecolabels
  and fishery management systems to ensure the
  sustainability of the resource

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Complying with food safety standards 1

• EU food safety regulation on imports of fish
• Application of EU rules in fish exporting
  countries
• Bans of late 1990s
• Upgrading of factories, new SOPs, clearer CA
  roles
• EU inspections in 2000 green light

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Complying with food safety standards 2

• EU follow up inspection in 2006
• Fine-tuning of regulations and SOPs
• Lack of upstream controls (on the lake)
• Landings for export only in approved sites
  (Tanzania)

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Sustainability and fishery management systems 1

• Traditional rule and punish systems
• Fish/net size regulation for Nile perch
• 6 in. net min size 20 in. fish min size
• juvenile fish
• illegal to trade it even in local market
• In practice difficult to monitor/control
• Top-down punitive measures do not work in the
  long term

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Sustainability and fishery management systems 2

• Changes in demand the market helps
• Self-regulation (NEW!)
• Fish processors (started in Ug, extended to Tz
  and K)
• Do not buy NP under regulatory size
• Own inspection unit (self-financed)
• CAs impose sanctions (closure of plants)
• Motivations Market vs. Sustainability
• Does it work beyond the landing site?
• Motivations, incentives, blame
• Alternative markets for juvenile fish (DRC, Sudan)

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Sustainability and fishery management systems 3

• Community involvement in fishery management
• Beach Management Units (BMUs)
• More awareness on sustainability issues
• Lack of resources and incentives
• Difficult to confiscate gear
• Need to address constraints under which fishers
  operate
• Net swaps, not military operations

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Ecolabelling

• Market-based initiatives that seek to address the
  challenges of fish stock management
• Ecolabels
• Pocket guides advisory lists
• Procurement guidelines
• Role of NGOs in promoting these

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Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

• Main features of MSC
• Chain of custody
• Logo
• Certification against 3 principles
• Status of stock
• Impact of fishery on the ecosystem
• Performance of the fishery management system
• Assessment and re-assessment process

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MSC and developing countries

• Only few developing country fisheries (DCFs)
• Lack of initial involvement with DCFs
• As of 2006, 3 DCFs certified, all in upper-middle
  income countries (incl SA hake) 2 under
  assessment
• 2010 still only 3 (of which one in a low-income
  country) certified and 5 under assessment

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Ecolabelling initiatives on Lake Victoria 1

• Pre-assessment for MSC
• To counteract negative images of the industry
  (e.g. Darwins nightmare)
• To encourage more active government engagement in
  sustainability
• To stimulate value addition
• Unlikely to lead to full assessment
• Naturland certification (Tanzania)
• Kyoga Wild (Uganda)

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Ecolabelling initiatives on Lake Victoria 2

• Issues
• Collective vs individual initiatives
• Environmental and certification outcomes vs.
  Stimulating focus on sustainable management
• Ecolabelling as market risk-management

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Conclusions

• Food safety problems for the most part fixed
• Sustainable fishery management
• Keep supporting the self-monitoring system
• Clarifying and revising the role of BMUs
  appropriate financing
• Net swaps
• Limited role for ecolabelling