Enhanced Coastal Weathering

Methodology overview

Methodology for ocean alkalinity enhancement through application of crusite minerals to coastal environments, accelerating natural CO2 drawdown through geochemical pathways.

Eligibility criteria

• ●Eligible activity is one of: (a) gear-switch to documented lower-impact gear, (b) verifiable bycatch-reduction device deployment, (c) enforceable spawning closure, or (d) ghost-gear recovery / prevention.
• ●Vessels are tracked by AIS or VMS for the full crediting period; non-tracked vessels are not eligible.
• ●Independent at-sea observer or electronic monitoring (EM) coverage on at least 20% of trips, with random-trip selection.
• ●Baseline catch composition supported by at least 3 years of observer or logbook data.
• ●Additionality demonstrated against the regulated fishery counterfactual — credits cannot be earned for compliance with existing law.
• ●Operator has clean enforcement record for the prior 24 months.
• ●All credits are contribution-first; no offsetting against bycatch claims by other actors.

Quantification approach

Carbon pools and crediting metrics

• ●Avoided fuel emissions (gear-switch only, where new gear is measurably less fuel-intensive)
• ●Avoided ghost-fishing mortality (translated to function-equivalent units, not carbon)
• ●Avoided seabed-disturbance carbon release (bottom-contact gear retirement only)

Equations (in plain language)

• 1.Avoided mortality = (baseline bycatch rate × effort) minus (project bycatch rate × effort), with effort measured from AIS/VMS hours and verified by observer days.
• 2.Avoided fuel emissions = (baseline kg CO2 / kg landed) minus (project kg CO2 / kg landed), multiplied by audited landings.
• 3.Ghost-gear recovery = (mass of gear recovered, kg) × (gear-specific mortality coefficient, individuals avoided / kg / year) × (residence-time factor).
• 4.Seabed-disturbance avoidance uses conservative regional defaults until site-specific sediment carbon flux data exists.

Reference methodology — starting point

Reference points include FAO 2020 Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear and the GEF/FAO REBYC-II protocols. These are starting references being improved upon — MCC F03 differs by requiring AIS/VMS-locked verification and formal bycatch additionality testing.

Where MCC improves on the reference

• ✓AIS / VMS data are the primary effort signal, not self-reported logbooks.
• ✓Observer / EM coverage minimum is hard-coded at 20%, not negotiable downward.
• ✓Gear-switch credits require manufacturer-verified fuel intensity, not modelled assumptions.
• ✓Ghost-gear credits use mortality coefficients calibrated per gear class, not generic averages.

Monitoring requirements

Required data sources

• ●AIS / VMS vessel tracks — continuous, with track integrity audit each verification
• ●On-board electronic monitoring (camera + sensor) — 20% trip coverage minimum
• ●Independent human observers — minimum 5% trip coverage where EM is deployed
• ●Port-side landings audit — 100% of declared landings cross-checked
• ●Gear-mark scans (passive RFID) for ghost-gear methodologies
• ●Fuel-burn telemetry where gear-switch fuel claim is made

KPIs that must be tracked

Eligible co-benefits — SDG mapping

F-family F03 contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals. Indicators flagged as required must be reported at every verification; optional indicators may be claimed where the project chooses to report them.

Public consultation and community engagement

30-day public consultation. Crew-level engagement is a separate required workstream — observer / EM rollout requires documented consent from operators and crew. Cooperative or association sign-off is required where the fishery is collectively managed.

Methodology change log