Marine watchdog criticised for keeping North Sea cod on the 'fish to avoid' list

From the Telegrah:  Marine watchdog criticised for keeping North Sea cod on the 'fish to avoid' list

A Scottish fishermen’s leader said consumers should ignore the recommendation and claimed Scottish cod was a "sustainable choice".

According to the Marine Conservation Society, it is still too soon to eat cod in fish suppers - the fish of choice in takeaways south of the border.

The charity said that if British consumers were keen to have cod on their plates, they should look for Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries in the north east Arctic, Iceland or Eastern Baltic.

Its influential seafood ratings place different species in different categories - fish to eat, fish to avoid, and fish to think about, meaning fish that should only be eaten occasionally.

It puts North Sea cod in the fish to avoid section, although it accepts that stocks are improving.

Bernadette Clarke, fisheries officer for the group, said: "The efforts of fishers and managers have placed cod in the North Sea on the road to recovery.
"Programmes such as the conservation credits scheme, which rewards fishermen for adopting conservation measures with additional days at sea, together with more effective long-term management plans will, hopefully, see the fishery continue to recover.
"Our advice remains to seek alternatives to North Sea cod. There are more sustainable cod fisheries that we currently rate as fish to eat."
According to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the world's oldest intergovernmental science organisation, the breeding stock of cod in the North Sea is three times larger than it was in 2006, and has returned to 1995 levels. However, it still recommends a nine per cent cut in the North Sea cod quota for next year because of the lack of young fish reaching maturity.
One skipper said the MCS rating was "dangerous" for an industry that supported thousands of jobs across the north and north-east of Scotland.
Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, said the recovery in North Sea cod was in large part down to the "massive" efforts of fishermen and consumers should pay no attention to the advice on cod.
He added: "Whilst we are disappointed the MCS advice on North Sea cod remains unchanged, we are pleased they recognise stock is on the road to recovery and the fishing effort for the species has decreased.
"We firmly believe that North Sea cod is a sustainable choice for the consumer because the scientific advice indicates that stock levels will continue to rise in the future, thanks to the sustainable fishing practices adopted by our fishermen.
"Indeed, the majority of stocks of interest to Scottish fishermen are increasing, and important species such as Scottish haddock, saithe and herring are all independently certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for the responsible manner in which they are harvested.
"Our unequivocal message to the consumer is to eat more Scottish fish, and that includes North Sea cod."
The society also says that monkfish remains a fish to eat only occasionally because stocks are declining, despite cuts in the fishing effort in the North Sea and waters west of Scotland.
According to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the world's oldest intergovernmental science organisation, the breeding stock of cod in the North Sea is three times larger than it was in 2006, and has returned to 1995 levels. However, it still recommends a nine per cent cut in the North Sea cod quota for next year because of the lack of young fish reaching maturity.

 

Santiago: US quibbling over payment of fine

From Inquirer.net: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/95819/santiago-us-quibbling-over-payment-of-fine

MANILA, Philippines—The United States is delaying payment of the P58.3-million fine for damaging the Tubbataha Reefs by quibbling over procedure, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said on Sunday.
The US government has failed to compensate the Philippines close to a year after its Navy ship, the USS Guardian, got stuck on an atoll in the Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea on Jan. 17, 2013.

Santiago, former chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, said she was “disappointed” by the claim of a US official that Washington had not received a formal request for payment from Manila.
Compliance with such a procedure was “irrelevant” since the Philippine government had decided to fine the US government some P58 million for the damage, Santiago said.

“Their contention that payment has not been fully delivered because the Philippines has yet to make a formal request is dilatory,” she said in a phone interview.

“Why quibble with these technicalities since we have brought this case before the tribunal asking for payment? That there has been no full compliance is irrelevant. This is very insignificant and doesn’t detract from the judgment,” she added.

As things stand, the US must “pay” the “piddling” fine, Santiago said. “There has been a judgment. They must pay up.”

Heritage site
Nearly a year after the Guardian ran aground in the protected reefs—a World Heritage site—Philippine environment officials confirmed the US had not paid the fine imposed by the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO).

Filipino activists and environmentalists in April 2013 petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a writ of kalikasan (environment), demanding a stiffer fine than the one assessed.

A US official privy to the matter reasoned out that Manila had not formally requested settlement of damages. Otherwise, Washington was committed to expediting such a request, the official said.

Progress
Foreign affairs officials, however, said that talks on compensation were still ongoing between the two countries and that there had been some “progress.”

The Guardian—a 68-meter, 1,389-ton minesweeper—was sailing to Indonesia after a port call at Subic in Zambales when it ran aground in the South Atoll, one of two atolls constituting the reef.

Experts said the damage covered 2,345.67 square meters of the reef, and the law prescribes a fine of $600, or P24,000, for every square meter of damaged reef, plus $600 for every square meter for rehabilitation.

Salvors retrieved the last major section of the minesweeper on March 30 last year. It was cut up into sections to avoid further damaging the reef.

Obligation
Santiago, who was elected to the International Criminal Court in 2011, said the US was duty bound to pay the fine under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), or the customary law.

She specifically cited Article 192 of Unclos, which provides that states have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.

“The US is bound by this. This provision binds not only those who are parties, it binds all states,” she said.

Even outside of Unclos, Santiago said the protection of the marine environment falls under customary law, which is just as binding on the US and other states.

Customary law
Customary international law refers to international obligations arising from established state practice, as opposed to obligations arising from formal written international treaties, according to the Cornell University Law School website.

Santiago cited Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which states: “In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by states according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”