Russian Alaska Pollock Catchers Association and the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) Russia discussed the certification Russian Pollock fishery according the MSC standards

Russian Alaska Pollock Catchers Association and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Russia discussed the certification Russian Pollock fishery according the MSC standards, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Pollock Association.

 As a result of negotiations held in Moscow on February 21, 2011, Russian Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) issued a joint statement.
AK Pollock fishery in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation and the exclusive economic zone of the United States of America - is the second largest fishery in the world (after the Peruvian anchovy fishery), and Russian Pollock fishery is the largest of all the Russian fisheries.

In 2008 the Russian Alaska Pollock fishery has been successfully pre-assessed by the standards of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Since 2009, the process of full assessment of the Russian Pollock fishery by the standards of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is going on.

WWF welcomes the commitment of Russian fishermen united in PCA, a responsible approach to fishing of Pollock, but also appreciates the consistent efforts by PCA promote high standards of the Code for Responsible Fisheries in the management and production practices of the Russian fisheries. WWF considers it necessary and useful to the development of the PCA program of work on "critical point" for improving the overall institutional environment of regulation of the Russian fisheries.

AK Pollock Catchers Association considers participation of such respected organization as the World Wide Fund for Nature as extremely important part of the certification process of the Russian Alaska Pollock fishery according the MSC standard,  and as part of an agreement on cooperation, willing to work closely with WWF. PCA supports the idea of developing a Fishery Improvement Plan (FIP)

for improving the fishery, providing a list of agreed innovations in management and monitoring of fisheries, as well as the timing of their implementation.

The Parties recognize the importance and usefulness of a comprehensive public comment process, a full assessment of fisheries with participation of all stakeholders.

The parties believe that it is improving the existing system of assessment of catch, discards and bycatch, and also note the absence in Russia full-fledged system of traceability of origin of fish, resulting in there "window of vulnerability" for entry of IUU catch - fishing in legitimate traffic, and - the risks to the supply chain.

WWF and PCA declare the need for targeted action on the part of fishermen, and from the control and monitoring bodies and the scientific and expert community to eliminate the existing shortcomings in the management and monitoring.

The parties consider it necessary to develop and adopt a number of interrelated measures in this regard; assume the corresponding obligations of the joint nature:

- Organize a joint study of the desirability of the presence of fishing vessels are independent of the owners, observers, and to prepare for the proposal concerning the legal status, funding and training system of these observers;
- To promote the inclusion in the National Plan to Combat IUU - Fishing, prepared by the Federal Agency for Fisheries, agreed proposals WWF and PCA, and seek approval of the plan;
 - Participate in the expert examination of draft agreements between the Russian Federation, on the one hand and Japan and the Republic of China, on the other hand, the port control, as well as in expert examination of joint orders of the Federal Security Service and the Federal Agency for Fisheries on the order of implementation of these international agreements ;
- Prepare for a broad discussion of a fishing community proposals for the possible establishment of a fund to finance the improvement of monitoring and implementation of best practices (the observers in the fishery, implement the ecosystem approach to fisheries management, the acquisition of advanced equipment samples, for example, new systems and satellite surveillance, etc.) ;
 _ Undertake joint action to conduct research to develop a harmonized with the Federal Agency for Fisheries, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Customs Service, the scientific and expert community generally accepted methodology for assessing IUU fishing - fishing;
-  Jointly participate in the development of legal acts, including the Law on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Oil and integrated management of the shelf, the development and establishment of fisheries protected area in western Kamchatka, aimed at preventing contamination of the main regions of the Russian fisheries in the case of oil spills during drilling and transportation of oil on the shelf of the Okhotsk Sea;
- Jointly participate in organizing and conducting research on "Evaluation of conformity of the fishing stock and the power of the fishing fleet in the Far Eastern seas;
- Organize 25 - May 27, 2011 in the Russian fisheries exhibition Ekspofish "seminar on MSC certification and traceability of fish products with all stakeholders, including PCA, Fishery Improvement Partnership, buyers, processors, scientists, experts on traceability

WWF reiterates its readiness to participate in the study of materials auditor Pollock fishery to the MSC standard in conjunction with the Association of Pollock (PCA), members of the Partnership to improve the fishery (FIP) and the Federal Fisheries Agency (AFD), as well as in the open consultation on the discussion of these materials in accordance with the timetable established by.