Nearly one-third of the world’s legal toothfish catch is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified, with the certification of the Macquarie Island toothfish fishery, announced on Thursday.
Operated by Austral Fisheries and Australian Longline, the fishery is the world’s fourth toothfish fishery and Australia’s second toothfish fishery — the Heard and McDonald Islands toothfish fishery, certification in March, is the other — to earn MSC certification.
The fishery occurs in the waters of the Australian Fishing Zone around Macquarie Island, a small island located about halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. The fishery’s 2012-13 quota is set at 455 metric tons.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) manages the fishery with assistance from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Commonwealth Scientific, Industry and Research Organisation (CSIRO). Its management is also complementary with the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCALMR) Convention.
Requirements include two full-time observers on every trip, constant satellite monitoring of vessels, seabird bycatch mitigation measures, limits on the vessel numbers and seasonal restrictions to avoid interfering with seabird and marine mammal breeding times.
Said David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries: “Both Austral Fisheries and Australian Longline are committed to legal, sustainable and productive fisheries. We’ve come a long way from the days of battling against illegal fishing to save stocks, and seabirds, as well as introducing new methods of fishing to protect seabirds, marine mammals and the sensitive environment we fish for toothfish in.”
