Wessells, C.R.; Cochrane, K.; Deere, C.; Wallis, P.;
Willmann, R. Product certification and ecolabelling are tools that can be used to support fisheries management. These tools, while inter-related and serving the same goal, have important differences as currently applied in fisheries. Product certification is commonly a measure mandated by governments, often mutually agreed upon by regional fisheries management organizations, in order to ensure that only legally harvested and reported fish landings can be traded and sold in the domestic or international markets. The principal objective of product certification (and catch documentation) is to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in accordance with the 2001 FAO International Plan of Action. Product certification does not necessarily involve a product label at the retail level. Where product certification comes with a label to inform consumers, however, it can influence consumers choices. This technical paper provides information on important institutional features and characteristics of product certification schemes including: the linkage with management objectives; the level of government involvement; their validation procedures; and, in the international context, how they deal with non-participants of regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements. Product labels can be mandatory or voluntary and may refer to
different kinds of product characteristics or attributes including the
products composition or contents, product quality or form, as well as
environmental or social aspects of the products production process or
method. The focus in this publication is on voluntary product labelling that
conveys environmental information to consumers. The principal objective of an
ecolabelling scheme is to create a market-based incentive for better management
of fisheries by creating consumer demand for seafood products from well-managed
stocks. This technical paper provides information on the theoretical foundation,
institutional arrangements and relationship with international trade law of
ecolabelling programmes for fish and fishery products. It also discusses trade
access concerns with ecolabelling programmes and examines their operational
features including certification criteria, certification costs and chain of
custody. The document includes a list of related sites on the
Internet. |