Saving Seafood

McDonald’s Came Out With A Card Game Based On The Filet-O-Fish

June 13, 2018 — Love it or hate it, the Filet-O-Fish is one of McDonald’s most recognizable items. Kanye West raps about it, President Trump eats two of them at a time, and now, there’s a card game devoted to it. McDonald’s released ‘Reel It In’ online this week, and the purpose is way more noble than you might think.

The kids’ game was created to teach kids about sustainable fishing practices, as well as highlight McDonald’s environmental efforts. According to the company, every single Filet-O-Fish sandwich is made with Marine Stewardship Council-certified wild-caught Alaska pollock.

What that means is that during the catch process, the fishery McDonald’s sources from avoids catching fish that aren’t the desired type (this is called bycatch). The fishery also makes use of the entire fish for other purposes so that there is zero waste.

Read the full story at Delish

McDonald’s Uses Its Scale for Good to Advance Fish Sustainability ‘Reel It In!’ Card Game Aims to Educate Children on Sustainable Fishing

June 7, 2018 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

McDonald’s is using its size and scale to advance sustainable fish sourcing as the industry standard, helping to protect long-term fish supplies and help improve the health of surrounding marine ecosystems.

Every Filet-O-Fish® sandwich served in the U.S. is made with Alaska pollock from the largest Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fishery in the world. Located in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the fishery’s sustainability measures include avoiding capture of non-targeted fish – called bycatch – at one of the world’s lowest rates, one percent. Aside from the filets, the fishery also makes use of the entire fish for other purposes (including oil, roe and bones), resulting in zero waste, according to a report issued by Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers.

In 2018, McDonald’s USA marks five years as the first and only global restaurant company to serve MSC certified fish at every U.S. location.

Nearly half of all American consumers surveyed as part of a recent global consumer perceptions study are concerned about overfishing. Nearly 80% of U.S. consumers agree that we need to protect fish for the future so our children and grandchildren can continue to enjoy seafood. The consumer survey was carried out by an independent research and insights company,GlobeScan, on behalf of the MSC organization.

“The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is proud to be a part of McDonald’s sustainability journey, and its dedication to supporting fishermen and companies doing the right thing,” said Brian Perkins, Regional Director Americas, Marine Stewardship Council. “Supporting communities that depend on fish, promoting sustainable practices, and ensuring traceability along the supply chain through the MSC program help to ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy seafood for generations to come.”

To underscore McDonald’s commitment to healthy oceans and fish for future generations, and make the topic accessible for children, McDonald’s, in partnership with the MSC, created “Reel It In!” – the only card game in the sea that teaches the importance of sustainable fishing. The game is available for download online.

In 2011 and 2013, McDonald’s Europe and McDonald’s USA, respectively, elected to certify their more than 20,000 combined restaurants to the MSC Chain of Custody traceability standard. Today all of the Filet-O-Fish® portions served in Europe, U.S., Canada and Brazil bear the MSC certified label. McDonald’s is committed to sourcing 100% of wild-caught fish globally from verified sustainable sources by 2020.

About the MSC

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization. Our vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Our ecolabel and certification programrecognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.

The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that:
-It comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.
-It’s fully traceable to a sustainable source.

More than 300 fisheries in over 34 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of almost nine million metric tons, representing 12% of global marine catch. More than 25,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC label. For more information visit www.msc.org

Friend of the Sea overtakes MSC as world’s largest wild catch eco-label by volumes

May 29, 2018 — The Friend of the Sea (FoS) certification has become the single largest source of certified-sustainable wild catch on the global market, according to the last United Nations (UN) State of Sustainability Initiatives review, FoS said in its annual report published last month.

Its certified volumes have “grown at a rate of 91% per annum between 2008 and 2015, reaching 9.3 million metric tons of FoS certified wild catch seafood in 2015”, it said, referring to data from the last UN State of Sustainability Initiatives, which dates back to 2015.

Of total global wild catches, about 14% is certified, according to the UN. FoS accounted for 6.2% of certified volumes, while Marine Stewardship Council for 5.7% (see table).

About 770 companies are now certified under FoS, including both farmed and wild species. One hundred and fifty commercial species, 44 approved fisheries and fleets and 3,000 products have been certified by FoS.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Northeast longfin squid earns MSC certification

May 29, 2018 — The Northeast inshore longfin squid fishery became the first squid fishery in the world to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification this week as independent certifier SCS Global Services wrapped up an 11-month-long detailed assessment.

The fishery takes place along the East Coast from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, N.C. Squid are harvested by small-mesh bottom trawls by the fishery client group Lund’s Fisheries of Cape May, N.J., and the Town Dock of Narragansett, R.I., along with independent fishermen throughout the region. The bottom trawl fishery for longfin squid follows the species’ seasonal inshore/offshore migration patterns.

“We are excited to build additional trust with our customers through MSC’s certification of our longfin squid fishery,” said Wayne Reichle, president of Lund’s Fisheries. “This certification demonstrates that our domestic fisheries management system is working to sustainably manage our major squid fishery to the benefit of the resource, fishing communities, and calamari lovers everywhere.”

“All of us at the Town Dock are excited to be part of such a historic initiative,” said Ryan Clark, CEO of the Town Dock. “Our goal has always been to provide customers with a healthy and sustainable product. By certifying longfin squid, we hope to take the promise of sustainability a step further by protecting the fishery to ensure consumers have access to squid now and for many years to come.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

MSC awards first certification to a squid fishery

May 24, 2018 — The Marine Stewardship Council has awarded its first-ever certification to an inshore squid fishery: the loligo fishery in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean harvested by US companies Lund’s Fisheries and The Town Dock.

The certification was awarded May 22 by the independent auditor SCS Global Services following an 11-month assessment, according to a press release.  The fishery, which will remain certified until 2023, stretches from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

First Squid Fishery in the World Certified as Sustainable

May 24, 2018 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council, Lund’s Fisheries, The Town Dock, and SCS Global Services:   

The U.S. Northeastern Longfin Inshore Squid fishery in the Northwest Atlantic is the first squid fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery. The certification was awarded on May 22 by independent certifier SCS Global Services following an 11-month long detailed assessment.

The Longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis (Amerigo) pealeii), also referred to as Loligo squid, has a lifespan of less than one year. They spawn year-round as they migrate long-distances between inshore and offshore waters. They generally remain inshore during spring and offshore during late fall. As with most squid species, environmental factors such as temperature play a significant role in the timing of migrations, distribution, growth, and spawning. Due to changing water temperatures, squid have been migrating further North up the coast than in past years. It is one species that may benefit from climate change, rather than be negatively impacted by it, according to studies.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the fishery for becoming the first squid fishery in the world to attain MSC certification,” said Brian Perkins, MSC’s Regional Director for the Americas. “This achievement is an acknowledgement and testimony to the great work that the fishers are doing to ensure that they fish responsibly, and will have the resource available for generations to come.”

The fishery takes place on the U.S. continental shelf from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Squid are harvested by small mesh bottom trawls by fishery client group Lund’s Fisheries Inc. of Cape May, New Jersey, and The Town Dock of Narragansett, Rhode Island along with independent fishermen throughout the region using the same fishing method. The bottom trawl fishery for longfin squid follows the species’ seasonal inshore/offshore migration patterns.

“We are excited to build additional trust with our customers through MSC’s certification of our longfin squid fishery,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries. “This certification demonstrates that our domestic fisheries management system is working to sustainably manage our major squid fishery to the benefit of the resource, fishing communities, and calamari lovers everywhere.”

“All of us at The Town Dock are excited to be part of such a historic initiative,” said Ryan Clark, CEO of The Town Dock. “Our goal has always been to provide customers with a healthy and sustainable product. By certifying longfin squid, we hope to take the promise of sustainability a step further by protecting the fishery to ensure consumers have access to squid now and for many years to come.”

The two companies are also immediately pursuing a scope extension via an expedited assessment of the Northern shortfin squid small mesh bottom trawl fishery under MSC principles. Northern shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus), also known as illex, is a commercially important species with a broad range that extends between the Sea of Labrador and the Florida Straits.

Development of the U.S. domestic longfin squid bottom trawl fishery began in the early 1980s as the U.S. industry developed the appropriate technology to catch and process squid in large quantities, and became solely domestic in 1987.

The fishery is certified until 2023 and will undergo annual audits within that timeframe to ensure the MSC standard continues to be met.

 

ISSF Wants Concrete Progress on Harvest Strategies in the Indian Ocean

May 21, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:   

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) published its position statement in advance of the 22nd Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21-25.  One of ISSF’s highest priority items for IOTC is to advance the region’s management strategy evaluations (MSE) for albacore, yellowfin and bigeye tuna, which have not been fully evaluated; adopt species-specific harvest strategies; and conduct a review of limit reference points to pave the way for the adoption of harvest control rules by 2019.

“ISSF is concerned that the Commission’s progress on harvest control rules (HCRs) for stocks that need stricter and more targeted management has slowed, based in part on a lack of resources for its critically important harvest strategy work,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson.

“The Commission has taken steps over the last three years to demonstrate its intention to implement carefully planned harvest strategies, but has made little progress on execution this year. It’s important that the Commission regains momentum at the upcoming Annual Session in Bangkok. That starts with considering the Science Committee endorsed MSE outcomes and taking other needed decisions in line with Resolution 15/10 that will lead to the adoption of HCRs next year.”

Observer Coverage and Electronic Monitoring

In the position statement, ISSF also advocates for intensified FAD management measures — including of supply and tender vessels; full implementation of a non-entangling Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) requirement; and regional support for projects that test biodegradable FADs.

Additionally, ISSF asks IOTC to:

  • Require 100 percent observer coverage on large-scale purse seine vessels
  • Increase longline observer coverage to 20 percent
  • Develop standards so that electronic monitoring can be used to ultimately achieve 100 percent observer coverage in both purse-seine and longline fisheries
  • Strengthen the IOTC compliance assessment process
ISSF urges IOTC to move forward with harvest strategies for all species within its purview. IOTC’s own science committee reports that:
  • Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna is overfished with 67.7 percent probability.
  • Billfish, such as black and striped marlin, in the Indian Ocean are overfished, with 80 percent and 60 percent probability, respectively.
  • Longtail tuna, a species critical to the region’s food security, is overfished with 67 percent probability.

Harvest Strategies, which include target and limit reference points (TRPs and LRPs) together with harvest control rules, provide pre-agreed rules for the management of fisheries resources and action to be taken in response to changes in stock status. Pre-agreed rules and strategies enable prompt management action to avoid overfishing or to rebuild stocks and reduce protracted negotiations that can lead to further declines in the stock.

Additional “asks” of IOTC from ISSF this year include:

  • Retain overall catch reductions contained in IOTC Resolution 17/01 to prevent overfishing of Indian Ocean yellowfin and other species, which requires the Commission to rigorously evaluate the resolution’s effectiveness when the results of the next stock assessment are available and ensure that all relevant parties comply with the resolution.
  • Like last year, ISSF advocates for strengthened monitoring, control and surveillance measures to support data collection and the implementation of harvest strategies.

Read the full position statement here.

ISSF and Fisheries Improvement

ISSF’s goal is to improve the sustainability of global tuna stocks by developing and implementing verifiable, science-based practices, commitments and international management measures that result in tuna fisheries meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification standard without conditions.

ISSF’s appeals to IOTC — and RFMOs in all ocean regions — align with MSC performance indicators that comprise the principles of the MSC certification standard: Principle 1, Sustainable fish stocks; Principle 2, Minimizing environmental impacts; and Principle 3, Effective management.

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. Helping global tuna fisheries meet sustainability criteria to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification standard — without conditions — is ISSF’s ultimate objective. To learn more, visit https://iss-foundation.org/, and follow ISSF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

New England groundfishery gains MSC certification

May 17, 2018 — The haddock, pollock, and Acadian redfish trawl in the U.S. Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks officially received MSC certification on 10 May.

Two companies, Fisherman’s Wharf based in Gloucester, Mass.; and Atlantic Trawlers based in Portland, Maine; worked to receive the certification. After roughly a year and extensive assessments the fishery was approved as sustainable.

“With the MSC certification, the fishery can guarantee that the fish stocks are healthy, the fishery has minimal impact on the marine ecosystem, and there is effective, responsive, and responsible management in place,” MSC spokesperson Jackie Marks said.

Certification allows the two companies to use the MSC blue ecolabel on their products, something that the owners of both Atlantic Trawlers and Fishermen’s Wharf saw as a good way to expand their market reach.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

More than half of New Zealand’s seafood catch now MSC-certified

May 17, 2018 — New Zealand’s seafood industry celebrated the country’s inaugural Sustainable Seafood Day with the announcement that more than half of the country’s total seafood production is now certified to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability standard.

Leaders from New Zealand’s seafood industry, including New Zealand Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash, Deepwater Group CEO George Clement, Sanford CEO Volker Kuntzsch, MSC Oceania Program Director Anne Gabriel, and NIWA Principal Scientist Matt Dunn, offered their insights on the sustainable seafood movement at a celebratory event to mark the occasion.

“MSC certification provides a tangible and credible way for consumers to purchase sustainable seafood,” Clement said.

Around 70 percent of New Zealand’s deepwater catch is certified, compared to a global rate of 12 percent, Clement said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Massachusetts: Gloucester fish seller, supplier earn sustainability certification

May 8, 2018 — Haddock, pollock and redfish — “The Big Three” — are getting a big new marketing edge from a little blue label.

“There’s a lot of them out there,” says Jimmy Odlin from the headquarters of his Portland, Maine-based AtlanticTrawlers Fishing. “We just needed to sell more of it. We knew we needed to expand our market and after researching, we decided that MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification was the best fit.”

The other half of Odlin’s “we” is Gloucester’s Nick Giacalone, who, along with brothers Chris and Vito Jr. have since 2008 shared the helm of Fishermen’s Wharf Gloucester on Rogers Street. And what the two men were after, the MSC certification label — the international gold standard for dealing in sustainably caught and processed seafood — does not come easily.

But after one solid year, “a lot of money and meetings,” a third-party assessment, internal research and finally, 350-odd pages of copious scientific and peer reporting, the pair announced this week that the much coveted little blue MSC “ecolabel” will now go on all haddock, pollock and redfish trawled from the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank by Atlantic Trawlers Fishing and landed at Fishermen’s Wharf.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times