Dateline: 07/01/99
MARINE AQUARIUM COUNCIL
Certifying Quality and Sustainability in the Marine Ornamentals Industry
MAC News - 2nd Quarter 1999 Report
Welcome
Welcome to the second issue of MAC News. As we approach the mid-point
in our first full year, I am pleased to be able to provide you this update
on MAC activities and progress - and the interest in MAC from around the
world. If you received this copy of MAC News directly, you are part of
the MAC Network mailing list. If you know someone that should be part of
the MAC Network, please encourage them to visit the MAC website and submit
the simple form available at the site.
Moving Forward on Certification Development
Several important activities are underway in the Philippines that will
contribute significantly to bringing certification to reality. The first
is an analysis of the ornamentals supply chain that will:
- a) Propose a certification documentation system for tracking "units" of marine aquarium organisms from source through to export (and beyond to retail); and
- b) Recommend aquarium holding/transport systems and facilities that allow a "unit" of certified ornamentals to be kept physically intact and identifiable from source through to export.
- a) Evaluate the operational steps from collectors to exporters, identify the steps best suited for certification audit, and make recommendations for audit standards and measures;
- b) Analyze the costs and benefits of compliance with certification at each link of the chain, including fixed vs. variable costs/benefits and tangible vs. intangible costs/benefits; and
- c) Assess the price premium for certification at each stage of the supply chain that is needed to offset the cost of compliance with the standards.
- Introduction of Proposed Certification Standards for the Marine Ornamentals Industry
- Certification and Collector/Community Issues
- Water Quality, Husbandry and Handling Standards for Certification
- Certification Documentation System for the entire "Chain of Custody"
- Quality and Sustainability Issues in the South Pacific Ornamentals Industry
- Quality and Sustainability Issues in the Philippines and Indonesia Ornamentals Industry
- Certification of Cultured Organisms
- Economics and Trade Information in the Ornamentals Industry
MAC Outreach and Networking
MAC will be holding informal briefing sessions on certification and
labeling for the hobby and industry at MACNA XI (Louisville, KY, 10-12
Sept, 1999). We encourage you to participate in MACNA and visit the MAC
briefing sessions to put your questions to us about certification and labeling
and talk to your colleagues who are directly involved in MAC's efforts
(and enjoy some refreshments).
Increasingly, MAC is being recognized as the global process for sustainability in the marine ornamentals industry and we are being asked to inform important meetings about certification, labeling and the development of MAC as a 3rd party multi-stakeholder body. In the past 3 months, we have made presentations at several key gatherings, including:
- Indonesia Workshop on Marine Products Certification
- Marine Stewardship Council Conference on "Sustainable Fisheries - Options for the Future"
- UN Commission on Sustainable Development
- World Aquaculture Society Annual Conference
- Aquarama '99
MAC is working to ensure that the United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) is aware of certification and labeling and the considerable opportunity for collaboration between MAC and the USCRTF in ensuring that the harvest and trade in ornamentals is sustainable. The USCRTF was established in June 1998 to expand and coordinate the work of federal agencies to protect coral reefs, including addressing the sustainable harvest and trade in reef species. MAC was invited to the March USCRTF meeting where our presentation on certification and labeling generated considerable interest. This was followed this up with a MAC briefing in Washington DC that was attended by most USCRTF agencies. We subsequently provided extensive written comments on the opportunities for collaboration on certification development, education, awareness raising and other areas and are following this up with them.
MAC collaborated with the South Pacific Forum to produce a report on "Marine Ornamentals Trade: Quality and Sustainability for the Pacific Region" that will be published soon. The SP Forum is the inter-governmental body for the 16 Pacific Island countries and is very interested in working with MAC to ensure that the marine ornamentals industry in the Pacific region is environmentally sound and sustainable.
MAC in the News and on the Net
- MAC is the focus of the June editorial in Freshwater and Marine Aquarium by Dennis Gallagher (former MASNA President and current MAC Board member) which centers on our Dec 98 Philippines multi-stakeholder workshop and Dennis' engaging presentation to that gathering.
- The May 99 issue of the OFI Journal includes a feature on MAC and the development of certification and labeling and was distributed widely by John Dawes of Ornamental Fish International (a MAC Board member) at Aquarama '99 in Singapore.
- In it's series on marine aquarium industry "Pioneers", Tropical Fish Hobbyist will feature an interview with Phil Shane (President of Quality Marine Inc. and MAC Board member) in an upcoming issue in which Phil emphasizes the importance of MAC to the future of the industry.
Paul Holthus, Executive Director
Marine Aquarium Council
3035 Hibiscus Dr.
Honolulu, Hawaii USA 96815
Phone: (808) 923-3254 Fax: (808) 923-6023
Email: paul.holthus@aquariumcouncil.org
LEARN MORE ABOUT MAC
AND JOIN THE MAC NETWORK,
FREE!
MAC News reprint permission from
Paul Holthus, Executive Director
Marine Aquarium Council
Return to MAC News Bulletin Archive
Return to Resources From Your Guides
