Mobilising international resource management certification schemes: Re-configuration of the global shark fin supply network by producers

Abstract

As one approach to publicising sustainability efforts at the local level for a wider audience, international resource management certification schemes and their eco-label programmes have been widely used as a verification tool. The case of Japanese shark fishery based in Kesennuma, Miyagi shows the full picture of the current global context behind a highly controversial commodity: shark fins. Campaigns against shark finning directed by environmental NGOs have led to shark fin being taken off the menu at some Chinese high-class hotels. The shark fishery in Kesennuma is currently working toward obtaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification to prove that their shark products are not the result of finning, with the expectation that the certification will provide a clear distinction between human moral issues and sustainable resource management issues. Drawing on this case, this paper analyses the network of cooperative stakeholders in order to re-configure a global sustainable commodity network for shark fins. It has been almost a quarter century since MSC was officially launched as an independent organisation in 1997. Initially, MSC certification was a major strength of differentiation, allowing producers of certified seafood to sell at a higher price, but the acquisition of certification by multiple fisheries targeting the same or similar species has reduced the economic benefits for individual fisheries. By analysing the shark fishery, which require resource management on the high seas, this paper provides new insights into how MSC certification can be mobilised by producers.