Links Between East Asian Markets And Russian Salmon Fisheries

R. C. KirkpatrickRegional DirectorTRAFFIC East Asia

based on a study by

Shelley ClarkeImperial College London

Market Incentives for Salmon ConservationPortland, Oregon13 November 2007

Chinook salmon. K. Schafer / WWF Canon.

Summary

The trade• East Asia gets most of Russia’s salmon exports

-- Sockeye to Japan-- “Other” (Pink & Chum) to China

• Japan is end consumer, China is processor• Models for sockeye suggest IUU of 50-90%

(two models, independent data, similar results)

Recommendations• Better regulate import/export• Provide & encourage consumer choice• Traceability is key issue

Chinook salmon. K. Schafer / WWF Canon.

Modeling ‘Excess Catch’

Note:• Assumes reported catch is legal and

accurate; this is minimum estimate

ExcessCatch

=Salmon reported caught

Salmon reported in trade

Methods

Salted Russian sockeye in Sapporo market. S. Clarke.

Methods

Two versions of model• ‘Import model’ for East Asia• ‘Market model’ for Japan

Note:• Focus on sockeye• Data sets for ‘Import’ & ‘Market’

are independent

Catch

Input 2:

The quantity of sockeye caught in Russian waters

Input 1:

The quantity of sockeye caught in Russian waters by the Russian fishery

Import:

The quantity of sockeye imported to East Asian markets

Market: The quantity of sockeye represented in the markets of Japan

TradeCatch

Import:

The quantity of sockeye imported to East Asian markets

Market: The quantity of sockeye represented in the markets of Japan

Trade

ImportSockeye

imported to East Asia

Catch1Sockeye caught

in Russian waters by Russian fishery

Catch2Sockeye caught

in Russian waters

MarketSockeye found

in the markets of Japan

Results – Import ModelRussian Sockeye Imported by East Asia

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

20

02

- C

atc

h 1

20

02

- I

mp

ort

20

03

- C

atc

h 1

20

03

- I

mp

ort

20

04

- C

atc

h 1

20

04

- I

mp

ort

20

05

- C

atc

h 1

20

05

- I

mp

ort

20

06

- C

atc

h 1

20

06

- I

mp

ort

mt

so

ck

ey

e

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Catch1 = Sockeye caught in Russian waters by Russian fisheryImport = Sockeye imported to East Asia

Results• Model with high variance for imports• Imports higher than catches• Statistically significant in 2005• Strongly suggestive in 2003, 2004

Each year, ‘import’ more than ‘catch’

Results – Market ModelRussian Sockeye in Japan Markets

-

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

2002

- C

atch

2

2002

- M

arke

t

2003

- C

atch

2

2003

- M

arke

t

2004

- C

atch

2

2004

- M

arke

t

2005

- C

atch

2

2005

- M

arke

t

mt

so

ck

ey

e

2002 2003 2004 2005

Results• Model with high variance for markets• Market amounts higher than catches• Statistically significant in 2003, 2004

and 2005

Catch2 = Sockeye caught in Russian watersMarket = Sockeye found in Japan markets

Each year, ‘market’ more than ‘catch’

Note! Different models, similar results!

Results – Japan

Japan• Imports from Russia ~30,000 mt in 2006• Imports of Russian wild salmon are only

4-5% of Japan’s total salmon market• Imports of frozen Russian sockeye are

45-55% of Japan’s sockeye market

Russian imports

Other imports

Chum catch

Inventory

Pink set-net catch

Drift net catch

Japan farmed Coho

Japan’s Salmon Market

Results – China

Imports from Russia

Imports, not Russian

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006kg

China’s Salmon Imports(‘Other,’ not Sockeye)China

• Imports from Russia ~50,000 mt in 2006• Russia’s share of salmon imported from

China grown from 15 to 35% in five years• China processes 23% of

global wild-caught salmon (estimate)

Recommendations

Better regulate import/export• Coordination group of importing authorities• Transparency in bonded warehouses• NPAFC expand remit (& China should join)

Encourage consumer choice• Enhance traceability systems (labeling

systems, both government & industry)• Turn eco-labeling to market advantage • Convince consumers in Japan, USA &

Europe to make a difference

MSC-certified Alaskan salmon in Japan. S. Clarke.

Summary

The trade• East Asia gets most of Russia’s salmon exports

-- Sockeye to Japan-- “Other” (Pink & Chum) to China

• Japan is end consumer, China is processor• Models for sockeye suggest IUU of 50-90%

(two models, independent data, similar results)

Recommendations• Better regulate import/export• Provide & encourage consumer choice• Traceability is key issue

Chinook salmon. K. Schafer / WWF Canon.

Read the Full Report!

Clarke, S. (2007).

Trading Tails: Linkages between Russian Salmon Fisheries and East Asian Markets.

TRAFFIC East Asia, Hong Kong, 120 pp.

Download at: www.traffic.org

Links Between East Asian Markets And Russian Salmon Fisheries

R. C. KirkpatrickRegional DirectorTRAFFIC East Asia

based on a study by

Shelley ClarkeImperial College London

Market Incentives for Salmon ConservationPortland, Oregon13 November 2007

Chinook salmon. K. Schafer / WWF Canon.