The role of the fishers (i.e., collector of marine ornamentals) has been, and always will be, fundamental to achieving the goals of MAC, i.e., healthy reefs, healthy marine organisms, healthy fishing communities, a healthy business and a healthy hobby. Two of the four sets of standards developed by MAC over the past few years deal with the supply side of the chain of custody. These are the Ecosystem and Fishery Management (EFM) international Standard and the Collection, Fishing and Holding (CFH) international Standard.

The marine ornamentals industry is significantly different from most other industries, especially at the collection end of the chain of custody. Village-based fishers in many countries have disadvantages that make it more difficult for them to immediately participate in an international system of standards, e.g., access to information. For these reasons, MAC has facilitated the opportunity for fishers and their communities to comply with the EFM and CFH international Standards. In this regard, MAC has formed partnerships with several organizations that work with fishers and fishing communities in coral reef countries that are the main supply areas—the Philippines, Pacific islands and Indonesia. Among the accomplishments resulting from MAC’s work with fishers and their communities

• The very first travel undertaken by the MAC Executive Director was to the Philippines and included significant time spent in fishers villages. For example, at the Philippines national multi-stakeholder workshop on a sustainable aquarium trade was already organized by MAC in 1998. At the time, MAC ensured that collector’s representatives made presentations and participated alongside industry, government and conservation organizations.

• An extensive “Feasibility Study” was undertaken in the Philippines in 2001 focused primarily on fishers and their ability to understand and comply with the EFM and CFH international Standards. The project involved several hundred collectors and nearly twenty (20) sites. Fishers trained to the MAC international Standards were pleased with the many aspects of the certification system, such as the “supply to order” process, collection logbooks and, especially, the high quality fish and low mortality rates that were shown to be achievable.

• The ability of the fishers to comply with the MAC international Standards was verified in a certification “Test Case” held in late 2001.

• Following the official launch of the MAC Certification system in November 2001, MAC expanded its work with the fishers in their villages and on their reefs. An intensive training and community outreach program is still underway in those villages that are interested in becoming MAC Certified. Partnerships with the industry, NGOs and government agencies have been established to undertake further outreach and training.

• With its partners, MAC has developed resource assessment techniques in the field to establish the basis for management plans. For instance, the Marine Aquarium Trade Coral Reef Monitoring Protocol (MAQTRAC) was designed specifically, in collaboration with Reef Check, to monitor marine ornamentals. MAQTRAC provides fishery managers with a detailed, species-level, rigorous protocol for detecting impacts of the marine aquarium trade on coral reef communities. It is a tool to measure change (improvement or decline) over time, so as to help manage marine aquarium fisheries, which are of vital importance to the economies of many tropical coastal villages in developing island countries. MAQTRAC has also become a requirement for collection areas pursuing international certification under the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) Ecosystem and Fishery Management (EFM) Standard for the marine aquarium trade.

• MAC continues to improve its Certification scheme with greater emphasis on reliable and appropriate collection equipment, sound screening and packing areas and proper bagging techniques. These post-harvest activities were often neglected in the past by other excellent training efforts because their funding required that they concentrate solely on the eradication of chemical use by training fishermen in the use of nets. MAC efforts are now being replicated in numerous locations in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands.
  
  
• As a result of training of collectors to meet the MAC international Standards, exporters in the Philippine, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands have also become MAC Certified, and provide to the rest of the chain of custody a higher percentage of better quality organisms than before. Marine organism mortality percentages continue to drop for a wide range of species. When using appropriately trained and monitored fishers, mortality rates of below 1% dead on arrival (DOA) and dead after arrival (DAA) for many species are not uncommon.


• Another outcome of MAC efforts can also be illustrated by exporters and importers visits to the fishermen, their communities and their reefs. The most objective, balanced and factual commentaries on the situation are coming from those who make these kinds of efforts.


• Since June 2002, several collections sites and fishermen groups have successfully become MAC Certified in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands for their compliance to the EFM and CFH international Standards.