The Pacific whiting fishery, one of the biggest off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, will receive a coveted "sustainable seafood" label despite strong concerns about overfishing from the conservation group Oceana and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
An arbitrator on Friday overruled objections to the certification, setting the stage for the Marine Stewardship Council to certify the whiting catch, formally known as the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery.
"The objections procedure is quite careful and rigorous, and we feel it’s a very carefully thought-through process," said Lisa Bailey, a spokeswoman for the London-based stewardship council. "We’re ready to support this fishery as a sustainable fishery."
In a world increasingly concerned about sustainable fishing, the council’s certification can be key to demand for fish. By 2011, for example, Walmart plans to purchase all of its wild-caught fresh and frozen fish for the U.S. market from council-certified fisheries.