Download June 2016: First public consultation of Version 2 Standard

IFFO GLOBAL STANDARD FOR THE
RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY OF FISHMEAL AND
FISH OIL
IFFO RS VERSION 2 PUBLIC
CONSULTATION STAGE 1:
FISHERY ASSESSMENT
COMPONENTS
INTRODUCTION
The IFFO RS Standard was originally created in 2009 to allow fishmeal and fish oil
manufacturing facilities to demonstrate a commitment to responsible sourcing and
processing of fishery raw materials. Since that time, processing facilities in 15 countries
worldwide, together representing around 42% of global fishmeal and fish oil production,
have been IFFO RS certified. The objectives of the IFFO RS programme to date have been:

Eradication of Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fisheries products being
used as raw material for IFFO RS compliant marine ingredients;

To ensure that whole fish used in the production of marine ingredients are sourced
from responsible managed fisheries;

To ensure the safe manufacture of marine ingredients ;

To have effective traceability systems in place to ensure that the IFFO RS compliant
marine ingredients can be traced back to the approved IFFO RS raw material fishery;

Fish by-products or trimmings used in IFFO RS compliant marine ingredients must
not come from fisheries that are classified as endangered on the IUCN red list and
must be derived from fish intended for direct human consumption;

Certified factories must commit to having environmental and social policies in place.
In order to determine whether a processing facility meets the requirements of the IFFO RS
Standard, two key assessment stages are conducted. Firstly, a desktop assessment of the
fishery or fisheries from which the factory sources raw material is carried out. This ensures
that the fishery is managed responsibly and makes an effort to minimise IUU fishing. The
second key stage is a site visit to the factory itself, to ensure that the processes and
procedures in place meet the requirements of the IFFO RS Standard. The factory is the unit
of certification and the fishery is not permitted to make any claim against the IFFO RS
Standard; however the nature of the assessment process means that responsible
management of the raw materials sourced by the factory are a pre-requisite for
certification.
In November 2014, five years after the creation of the original Standard, the IFFO RS
Governance Board ratified a proposal to review and enhance the IFFO RS programme
through the development of a ‘Version 2’ with enhanced strategic objectives. These
objectives are:

To continue to meet the objectives set in the development of Version 1 of the IFFO
RS Standard;

To enhance the IFFO RS Approval Criteria for whole fish used as a raw material for
IFFO RS compliant production to promote more responsible fisheries management;

To promote more efficient marine ingredients production practices to reduce the
environmental impact of the fishmeal and fish oil manufacturing process;

To promote and create improved social and welfare benefits for all workers
employed within the marine ingredients manufacturing sector;

To develop this version of the standard to be in compliance with the ISEAL Code of
Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standard v5.0.
Since that time the development of Version 2 has been conducted under the guidance of a
specially formed Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), made up of expert stakeholders from
across the marine ingredients spectrum. The process for developing Version 2 is described
in more detail later in this document; however the main outcomes to date is a proposal for
the new fishery clauses in the IFFO RS V2 Standard, and a draft of the proposed fishery
assessment criteria and process. The purpose of this public consultation is to obtain input
from an even wider range of stakeholders and interested parties than are represented by
the TAC, to inform the continuing development of Version 2.
V2 FISHERY ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
March 2015: Version 2 Terms of Reference proposed; formation of TAC initiated.
May 2015: Feedback on draft ToR used to create final version.
June 2015: TAC membership finalised; Initial work on Version 2 started.
September 2015: First TAC meeting, to discuss general direction of Version 2 development.
October 2015: Further development of Version 2.
November 2015: Second TAC meeting, to provide more detailed guidance on Version 2
development.
February 2016: Completion of first full draft of Version 2 fishery assessment process and review by
TAC.
March 2016: Completion of first Version 2 fishery assessment trial (Peru Anchovy).
May 2016: Completion of second Version 2 fishery assessment trial (South Africa small pelagic).
June 2016: First public consultation of Version 2 Standard fishery components (30 days).
July & August 2016: Further development of V2 fishery clauses and assessment process to reflect
consultation responses. Development of multispecies methodology.
September 2016: Second public consultation on full draft of fishery and factory assessment
processes (60 days).
November 2016: Further development of V2 fishery and factory assessments to reflect consultation
responses.
December 2016: Present completed proposal for new Standard and assessment process to IFFO RS
Governing Board for final approval.
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS CONSULTATION REQUEST
The purpose of this document is to provide a structure within which stakeholders and other
interested parties can provide input into the development of the IFFO RS Version 2 fishery
assessment criteria and process. The main section below contains a series of specific questions and
areas in which input would be particularly valuable. However, it is also important to note that all
comments are welcomed and any responses which do not fit into one of the other sections below
should be included in the ‘other comments’ section.
As described by the timeline above, this is the first of two public consultations on the development
of IFFO RS V2. This consultation considers the core of the revised fishery assessment criteria and
process; the factory assessment criteria and process will be considered, along with an updated
version of the fishery criteria, during the second public consultation later in 2016.
In preparation for this consultation, two trial assessments have been carried out. The first was
conducted on the Peruvian anchovy fishery; the second on the South African small pelagic fishery.
Both of these fisheries have been approved against the current IFFO RS Standard for several years
(Peru since 2009 and South Africa since 2011). The results of the trials were used to further refine
the draft assessment process, and the version of the assessment template presented here for
comment is the result of that process.
There are a number of significant differences between the current (Version 1.6) fishery assessment
criteria and process and the proposed Version 2 criteria and process. Two key changes are as
follows:
1. A single assessment is now used for each fishery, where previously a separate assessment
was required for each species even if they were caught together. This is facilitated through
the implementation of a Species Categorisation stage to the assessment, which separates
the species caught in the fishery out according to their proportion in the catch and the level
of scientific understanding of the stock. The four categories are as follows:

Category A – More than 5% of landings, stock assessments carried out;

Category B – More than 5% of landings, no stock assessments carried out;

Category C – Less than 5% of landings, stock assessments carried out;

Category D – Less than 5% of landings, no stock assessments carried out.
The category into which a species falls determines the detail of the assessment conducted.
Category A species are assessed through an examination of the data collection, stock
assessment, management measures, and stock status relating to the species. Category B
species are assessed using a risk-based assessment covering similar areas. Category C
species are assessed on stock status only. Category D species are further sub-categorised
using a PSA-based analysis to identify high-risk species present in the catch.
In addition to species-specific assessment sections, one ‘Management’ and one ‘Further
Impacts’ section is conducted for each fishery. These reflect the traditional IFFO RS fishery
assessment process more closely, but do contain significant differences.
2. The original traffic-light system of High, Medium and Low compliance has been replaced by a
simple Pass/Fail outcome. This has been implemented as a result of what the TAC viewed as
a lack of impact for the medium compliance ratings in the old assessment. In theory, a
medium compliance was accompanied by a condition for improvement placed upon the
fishery, to be met by the time of the next full fishery assessment. However, due to the
nature of the IFFO RS programme, which certifies factories and not fisheries and therefore
has limited direct influence over fisheries management itself, these conditions were rarely
followed. The new approach accepts this reality and eliminates the system of conditions
entirely.
Other, less substantial changes will be immediately evident throughout the proposed
assessment criteria and process. Comments on these changes as they relate to the original
assessment are welcomed, but particularly of interest is whether this assessment can stand
alone as a robust and reliable mechanism for identifying responsibly managed fisheries.
METHODOLOGY COMMENTS
This section aims to elicit responses on the major changes to the assessment process.
Species categorisation methodology
Scoring methodology (Pass/Fail)
Any other comments on methodology
SECTION-BY-SECTION COMMENTS
The following boxes are for comments relating to specific sections of the proposed assessment
process, and the criteria under each.
IFFO RS Standard Fishery Assessment Clauses
Section 1.3.1 – Fishery Management Framework and Procedures
1.3.2 – Stock Assessment and Management
1.3.3 – Fishery Impacts
Proposed Fishery Assessment Criteria and Process
Clause M1 – Management Framework
Clause M2 – Surveillance, Control and Enforcement
Category A Species Assessment Section – General Comments
Clause A1 – Data Collection
Clause A2 – Stock Assessment
Clause A3 – Harvest Strategy
Clause A4 – Stock Status
Category B Species Assessment Section – General Comments
Category C Species Assessment Section – General Comments
Category D Species Assessment Section – General Comments
Clause F1 – Impacts on ETP Species
Clause F2 – Impacts on Habitats
Clause F3 – Ecosystem Impacts
Any Other Comments