Perspectives of stakeholders on the marine stewardship council certification: a case study of the Ashtamudi short neck clam fishery
Student name: Ms Ananya Rao
Guide: Dr Sudipta Chatterjee
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: WWF, India
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Vinod Malayilethu
Abstract: World over there is concern regarding sustainability of fish stocks, as global population rises, there is increasing demand for seafood. Failure of ‘hard’ laws for conserving fish stocks, has led to an institutional response, a softer approach by encouraging responsible consumer behaviour. The Marine Stewardship Council certificationis one such tool, bringing in a comprehensive set of criteria to certify sustainable fisheries and make a business case for positive marine conservation outcomes by paying a price premium to the participating fishery. Previously monopolised by large, industrial scale fisheries, it is slowly finding a strong hold in developing countries. The certification necessitates an improvement in the fishery management practises, and is aimed at making management practises more transparent to every stakeholder. The recently certified Ashtamudi Short-Necked Clam fishery in Kollam, Kerala, India, is the first fishery in India to receive the sustainability certificate.The fishery is subject to the same impediments as any small scale, community based fisher in a developing country. It is largely unorganised and lacking in infrastructure, however it has a stronghold on its self imposed, sustainable harvesting practises. The Fishermen, the Fisheries Department, and the stakeholders further up the producer chain are the stakeholders that stand to gain from the success of the certification. They are the upholders of the principles of sustainability on the basis of which the certification has been received, and also the ones who are responsible for implementing improved strategies for harvesting stock. In the case of the Ashtamudi clam fishery, fishermen were already practising sustainable fishing methods before receiving the certification, and it is not the case where fishing practises have drastically been altered to get the certification, therefore the success of the certification will be measurable in terms of the marginal economic benefit it is able to get. Inferences drawn fromstudying stakeholder perspectives on the certification, their apprehensions and expectations can help identifychanges that can lead to positive conservation and societal outcomes. Also it can help to understand whether the fishery improvements are actually being put to practise or not. Therefore this study aims at understanding how effectively the certification and its details have been communicated to the community, how structural modifications in the fishery will be received by the community and in doing so it identifies gaps in implementation of certain fishery management practises planned to be undertaken.
