May 8, 2015 — When contacted by MSNBC for a story on illegal labor used on Russian pollock vessels, McDonald’s quickly confirmed that in the US they only use Alaska pollock that is caught in Alaska.
But other users may not be so scrupulous.
This week, MSNBC did a story on the problems of illegal labor in the Russian fishery, where the recent tragic sinking of the Dalny Vostok, with a crew of 132 people, resulted 65 people dead and 12 missing.
Afterwards, reports emerged that some of the workers illegally on board from Myanamar, did not even realize they were being hired to work on a fishing vessel.
Besides Myanamar, other illegal workers were found to be from Vanatu, Lithuania, and the Ukraine.
The possiblity that the Russian fleet could potentially have a labor problem such as has created havoc for Thailand, with allegations of forced labor and illegal contracts, has infuriated American Pollock producers, who objected when the Russian fishery was given the same certification by the Marine Stewardship Council as was given to Alaska pollock.
“Fisheries need to be monitored, and if they aren’t doing that on labor issues, it’s a pretty good guess they’re not doing that on environmental issues,” said Jim Gilmore, a spokesman for the At-Sea Processors Association.
The risk for buyers is compounded due to the fact that most consumers think all Alaskan pollock is from Alaska. Last year the industry petitioned the FDA to change the legal name of Alaska Pollock to simply Pollock, and leave the geographical origin to become a true statement of orign. This is the FDA’s stated policy throughout its fish nomenclature database.
However, so far the FDA has not agreed, and yesterday at a Senate Hearing, an FDA spokesperson refused to answer Senator Cantwell’s question as to whether American consumers think Alaska pollock comes from Alaska.
At the present time, both the FDA and the MSC are making it harder for consumers to choose products according to attributes they value, which is strange as it is against the stated mission of both organizations.