New MAC program

[dizzy]

I just got through reading about MAC in March/April 2009 issue of CORAL magazine. Sounds like they are going to allow MAC certified organisms to be sold in stores that are in something called the Approved Retailer Program, and this is to be a stepping stone to HHT certification. I had a bit of of a hard time following the explanation of what went wrong in the past, but at any rate it is worth a read.
Mitch

 

[Anonymous]

I hope some day David comes to RDO again and gives us an update. The article gave me very little IMO and seemed rather crafted

 

[DavidM]

The new MAC web site we are launching will have a summary of what we are trying to accomplish by the end of this year. The concept of the Licensed Retailer Program is that we have all of this certified product that gets to the US and EU but then gets sold to retailers who, because they are not certified, cant sell the product as certified (but sell it nonetheless). We want to help open up access to the available supply by licensing retailers to sell MAC products. If the model works well, we can continue to use it in the future. Of course there are risks to such a program, so we are going to roll it out on an interim basis and see where it leads us. It will also help MAC develop a revenue stream that is not dependent on grants and contracts - which ended up being the biggest mistake the organization made in the past, as most of this type of funding comes with strings that lead you away from core objectives.

Hope this helps,
Dave

 

[Caterham]

David,

Thanks so much for the clarification. I certainly look forward to the launch of the new website and the additional information that it will provide.

Best regards,

 

[dizzy]

Seems like the dealer licensing fees will have to be pretty high if they are going to replace the millions of dollars in grant money that MAC has received in the past. Either that or there are a lot more retail stores than I realized.

 

[DavidM]

Well I dont think MAC needs millions of dollars to do its job - we only need millions of dollars if we try to do it ourselves - which didnt work. We would rather see MAC as a modest, $250k-$500k per year NGO, that works with the industry to achieve sustainability through the implementation of our standards and certification system.

The rates we are proposing for the licensed retailer program would be as follows, per year, based on # of stores:

1 US$ 250/Euro 250
<3 US$ 150/Euro 150 plus US$50/Euro 50 per outlet
4 – 10 US$ 125/Euro 125 plus US$40/Euro 40 per outlet
>10 US$ 100/Euro 100 plus US$30/Euro 30 per outlet

We want to make the program affordable to retailers, but also develop a pricing model that can help MAC migrate from grants and contracts to a sustainable, modest revenue source, based on licensing fees from retailers and, in the future, certified operators.

Hope this helps. Also remember that retailers can also get certified so as to achieve a higher level of compliance. There will be much more information provided through the relaunched MAC website. We finished it last night and will be migrating it to the server this weekend.

Dave

 

[dizzy]

Thanks David,
That certainly seems reasonable enough. Good luck.
Mitch

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update David.

Drop me an email, I have a whole slew of things to talk with you about

 

[swsaltwater]

So what would the requirements be (roughly)

Medicates fish, skimmer, uv, size tanks???????

 

[DavidM]

The basic requirements would be as follows:

1. Do you pledge to properly segregate and label certified and non-certified organisms using separate holding and display tanks?
2. Do you have a system of traceability in place that can document the source of origin and chain of custody for certified organisms?
3. Do you agree to abide by all required local, national, and international rules and regulations pertaining to the trade of marine aquarium organisms?
4. Do you have appropriate animal husbandry practices in place that ensure for the proper welfare of marine aquarium organisms?
5. Do you track mortality on a periodic basis?
6. Do you agree to periodically provide MAC with aggregate data on the trade of certified organisms so as to improve the overall certification system?
7. Do you ensure that your operations are conducted in a financially sound and in the most sustainable manner possible?
8. Do you agree to follow all terms and conditions outlined in the MAC Label Guide?

We are open to additions, deletions, and modifications to these requirements. Of course, we will provide guidance documents that take these requirements further, such as exactly what animal husbandry consists of.

Dave

 

[JennM]

4. Do you have appropriate animal husbandry practices in place that ensure for the proper welfare of marine aquarium organisms?

Hi Dave,

This one puzzles me. I'll explain. Some years ago I was courted by the MAC to become certified. At that time I was basically told that I would have to record my "best practices". Meaning, there was no set of standards as such, but certification depended on each entity following its own best practices.

That being said... there can be a huge variance in what some shopkeepers consider "appropriate", as far as water quality/parameters, infrastructure, etc. I've seen some shops that I'd be afraid to buy from because of their husbandry practices. While there are many different ways and means to keep organisms, basics such as an acceptable range of parameters should be standard, to ensure that the livestock passes through the chain of custody with as little stress as possible.

As such, are there a set of standards that a licensed or certified facility is expected to adhere to, or is it every man for himself still?

Respectfully,

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

4. Do you have appropriate animal husbandry practices in place that ensure for the proper welfare of marine aquarium organisms?

Hi Dave,

This one puzzles me. I'll explain. Some years ago I was courted by the MAC to become certified. At that time I was basically told that I would have to record my "best practices". Meaning, there was no set of standards as such, but certification depended on each entity following its own best practices.

That being said... there can be a huge variance in what some shopkeepers consider "appropriate", as far as water quality/parameters, infrastructure, etc. I've seen some shops that I'd be afraid to buy from because of their husbandry practices. While there are many different ways and means to keep organisms, basics such as an acceptable range of parameters should be standard, to ensure that the livestock passes through the chain of custody with as little stress as possible.

As such, are there a set of standards that a licensed or certified facility is expected to adhere to, or is it every man for himself still?

Respectfully,

Jenn

Great question! Long ago when courted by MAC the most important thing was who I was going to make the check out to. I hope things are different this time around.

 

[DavidM]

The object of the licensed retailer program is to get certified organisms that make it to the import level to the consumer. We have a small amount of product that comes into the US and UK but never makes it to the consumer because there arent enough certified retail stores. So we are trying to use this program to make that happen. Many of these organisms come from well known wild caught sources in Fiji and produced product in the UK. Others come from Indonesia and the Philippines. The point is that if certified product gets to demand countries, it should get to hobbyists.

The purpose of the revised MAC standards, coming later this year, will be twofold:

1. to certify sustainably collected and/or produced organisms, at the product level.
2. to ensure traceability, at the consumer level, to the point of origin through a chain of custody system of operators.

Our original system included rigorous standards for animal husbandry, order processing, and the like. That system didnt work - it was cumbersome, and we feel now that such components are better left to market forces. if you sell bad fish, the market should take care of it.

We will have a 60 day public review period of the revised MAC standards later this year and I will be sure to post a copy on this site for you all to comment on. We will take all comments seriously. To be honest, I think you will like our simplified, but undiluted, approach. I also plan to ask Gresham if he would like to sit on the Standards Committee, which will steer the revision process in partnership with the MAC Board of Directors.

More information will be coming out next week. We are fast tracking everything now that our strategy and web presence is in order. Once again, thanks for your patience.

 

[JennM]

The update is appreciated

I don't think my question was answered though.

Respectfully,

Jenn

 

[PeterIMA]

Question for David M,

My understanding is that MAC Philippines ceased to function. MAC Indonesia is now a separate NGO called LINI. I believe that
the MAC no longer is involved with field training programs and with certification of collectors. Who is presently involved with
Certification of collectors and what standards are being applied for this?

How can MAC ensure tracability of MAC fish, if the MAC no longer works directly with collectors?
Another question. How does MAC ensure that MAC fish are not caught with cyanide?

Peter