Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 167

THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 2018
» been endorsed by over 90 countries and forms a
certified fish was from capture fisheries and 20
percent from aquaculture.
strong foundation for W TO discussions towards
reg ulating fisheries subsidies. FAO has
continuously supported international efforts to
achieve SDG target 14.6 (By 2020, prohibit certain
forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to
overcapacit y and overfishing, eliminate subsidies
that contribute to illegal, unreported and
unreg ulated fishing and refrain from introducing
new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate
and effective special and differential treatment
for developing and least developed countries
should be an integral part of W TO fisheries
subsidies negotiation), for example by promoting
related high-level sessions during the Ocean
Conference in 2017 and by coordinating events
with UNCTAD, such as the Oceans Forum, to
advance the implementation of trade in fish
related to targets under SDG 14.
Certification schemes can be owned by public- or
private-sector bodies. The majorit y are owned by
NGOs. In recent years, for various reasons
including concerns over cost, more regional,
national or subnational schemes have emerged.
Examples include the Alaska Responsible
Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification
Program in the United States of America, the
Iceland Responsible Fisheries Management
(IRFM) Certification Programme and the Marine
Eco-Label Japan.
While the existence of multiple schemes offers
more choice, it may also add to the problem of a
multiplicit y of compliance procedures faced by
many fish product exporters, particularly those
exporting from developing countries and
sourcing from small-scale fisheries. Instead of
creating a clear path and incentive for the sector
to improve environmental and other
sustainabilit y credentials, the proliferation of
schemes has led to confusion among producers,
retailers and consumers. Since the extent to
which the various schemes are in compliance
with international reference documents varies
enormously, many importers and retailers are not
in a position to assess the criteria, benefits and
equivalence of schemes. Producers may be
obliged to adhere to specific schemes designated
by importers or retailers or may have to seek
certification by multiple schemes in order to
ser vice their customers, which may unnecessarily
push up costs and distort trade.
Sustainability certification in global markets
The initial goal of sustainabilit y certification was
to provide market-based incentives for producers
to engage in responsible fishing or aquaculture
practices so as to obtain preferred market access
and, in some cases, a premium price. Since the
establishment of the first scheme in 1999, the
number of voluntar y ecolabelling certification
schemes has significantly increased, ref lecting
the sustainabilit y and environmental concerns of
consumers, major producers and retailers of fish
and fish products.
Although from the beginning the schemes
purported to represent internationally agreed
fisheries and aquaculture management norms,
they developed different standards and
different assessment methodologies. Member
Countries consequently requested that FAO
develop relevant g uidelines for certification
schemes. The FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling
of Fish and Fisher y Products from Marine/
Inland Capture Fisheries and the FAO Technical
Guidelines on Aquaculture Certification were
developed between 2005 and 2011, closely
aligned to the Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries (FAO, 1995).
To level the playing field, FAO supported the
development of a common benchmark for
fisher y certification schemes. The Global
Benchmark Tool, developed by the Global
Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) with FAO
technical support, includes requirements that
certification schemes (for both capture fisheries
and aquaculture) need to meet in order to
demonstrate that they are based on the
principles and requirements of the main FAO
instruments dealing with sustainabilit y in
fisheries and aquaculture. The Global
Benchmark Tool also includes indicators that
allow stakeholders to understand the differences
among schemes. By Aug ust 2017, GSSI had
According to Potts et al. (2016), around 14 percent
of global production (both captured and farmed
fish) was certified in 2015; 80 percent of the
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