Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Marine Stewardship Council to host sustainability event

August 16, 2016 — WOBURN, Mass. — The Marine Stewardship Council’s Good Catch! campaign will make a stop in town 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Aug. 27 at Whole Foods, 400 Cambridge Road, Woburn. Consumers will have an opportunity to win Whole Foods gift certificates while learning about sustainable fishing in New England and protecting the environment by purchasing sustainable seafood products.

New England consumers’ affinity for fresh seafood is renowned, and the region benefits from a concentration of certified sustainable fisheries, which work to protect fish stocks, ecosystems and local fishing communities; however, consumer awareness of the abundant sustainable seafood offerings from area sellers remains low.

The Marine Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding the seafood supply, launched the Good Catch! campaign to educate New England consumers about identifying sustainable seafood products. The campaign is hosting events at Whole Foods and Big Y grocery stores, which feature MSC at their fresh fish counters, in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The MSC label on a seafood product means that it comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s standard for environmentally sustainable fishing. More than 280 fisheries in over 35 countries are certified to the MSC’s standard.

“As consumers are developing greater awareness of their impact on the world, they are demanding more ways to validate that the products they buy support their values,” said Brian Perkins, MSC Americas regional director. “You should have confidence that what you are buying really is what it says it is and that it originates from a sustainable source. The blue MSC label ensures that the seafood was caught wild, using methods that don’t deplete the natural supply or come at the expense of other ocean life.”

Read the full story at Wicked Local Woburn

“Good Catch!” Campaign Bolsters New England’s Sustainable Seafood Businesses

August 10, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

BOSTON — According to new independent research, seafood consumers in New England are significantly more likely than national consumers to purchase fresh fish at a seafood counter, 58 percent and 40 percent, respectively. New England consumers’ affinity for fresh seafood is renowned, and the region benefits from a concentration of certified sustainable fisheries, which work to protect fish stocks, ecosystems and local fishing communities. However, consumer awareness of the abundant sustainable seafood offerings from area sellers remains low. To address this, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the seafood supply, will launch a campaign to educate New England consumers about identifying sustainable seafood products.

MSC will take its “Good Catch!” campaign directly to consumers this month with events at Whole Foods and Big Y grocery stores, which feature MSC at their fresh fish counters, in greater Boston, Springfield and Great Barrington, as well as at Green Fest and the Quincy Farmers Market.

“As consumers are developing greater awareness of their impact on the world, they are demanding more ways to validate that the products they buy support their values,” said Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director – Americas. “You should have confidence that what you are buying really is what it says it is and that it originates from a sustainable source. The blue MSC label ensures that the seafood was caught wild, using methods that don’t deplete the natural supply or come at the expense of other ocean life.”

IMPACT ON LOCAL FISHING INDUSTRY: The fishing industry – at the heart of many New England communities – has seen first-hand the consequences of unsustainable fishing. Sustainable fisheries in New England, and globally, are the most important players in addressing these problems. The MSC certification program helps these fishing communities prove to the marketplace that their seafood supplies are healthy. In New England, the US Atlantic sea scallop; Maine Lobster; US North Atlantic swordfish; US Atlantic spiny dogfish; US Acadian, redfish, pollock and haddock fisheries are MSC certified.

“The fishing industry is vital to New England’s economy, and operating them sustainably ensures that our industry will continue for generations to come,” said Doug Feeney a commercial fisherman and member of the Cape Cod Fisherman’s Association. “Consumers want to know that the seafood they buy is responsibly sourced – MSC certification allows us to let local shoppers know that what they’re buying really does come from our sustainable sources.”

Consumers wishing to learn more about sustainable seafood can look for the MSC booth throughout August outside Whole Foods stores in the Boston area, Big Y stores in Springfield and Great Barrington, Green Fest, and the Quincy Farmers Market. Visit msc.org/goodcatch for information.

“By purchasing seafood that they know comes from a sustainable source, consumers help protect our oceans and ensure that seafood can be enjoyed for many generations to come,” said Perkins. “They have the power to impact the health of the ocean and the continuation of the fishing industry simply by the products they choose.”

About the Marine Stewardship Council (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 program recognizes 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, and it’s fully traceable to a sustainable source. More than 280 fisheries in over 35 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of almost nine million metric tons, representing close to 10% of annual global yields. More than 20,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC ecolabel. For more information, visit www.msc.org.

Sustainable catch nearly doubles over 5 years, reports MSC

June 10, 2016 — A new report commissioned by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and published in time to celebrate World Oceans Day (observed on 8 June) outlines how effective management and other improvements undergone by MSC-certified fisheries have positively impacted the world’s oceans.

Among the report’s most significant findings was the increase in the volume of global, MSC-certified wild seafood catch, which jumped from 5 percent (4,541 metric tons) in 2010 to 9.4 percent (8,821,221 metric tons) in 2015.

The 2016 Global Impacts Report analyzes the progress made by the 281 fisheries across 33 countries that have achieved MSC certification. At the close of 2015, these 281 fisheries implemented approximately 876 improvements, with more on the way, according to the report.

“The MSC was established nearly 20 years ago to address the problem of unsustainable fishing and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Our latest report showcases the results of the hard work, innovation and investment made by fisheries to achieve and maintain certification, and the positive change on the water the MSC program helps catalyze globally,” MSC Chief Executive Rupert Howes said in a news release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Status and Trends of the US Sea Scallop Fishery

April 18, 2016 — Rotational area management is the cornerstone of U.S. sea scallop fisheries management; areas that contain beds of small scallops are closed before the scallops experience fishing mortality, then the areas re-open when scallops are larger, producing more yield-per-recruit. When scallop vessels are fishing in these areas they are limited in terms of total removal. The scallops are harvested for their mussel (“meats”) by being hand shucked at sea; the vast majority being landed iced.

There have been many issues associated with commercial fishing gear in recent years as we move towards more sustainable fisheries. Important objectives to scallop gear operations include increasing the size of scallops retained in the gear, preventing damage to scallops not ready for harvest, avoiding mortality to unwanted fish species, mitigating any adverse impact to habitat, and reducing risk to threatened and endangered species. Scallops are primarily harvested by dredges that sweep across the surface of the sea floor. Besides catching scallops, the gear also captures as a bycatch flatfish such as yellowtail flounder and winter flounder. Many of these flatfish stocks are in an overfished condition due to past heavy pressure from targeting fisheries and environmental change, including rising ocean temperatures. Reduction of bycatch in the scallop fishery has been accomplished by gear modifications, time/ area closures (e.g., seasonal restrictions), and the higher scallop catch per unit effort (CPUE) achieved by rotational management.

Another issue relates to the concerns that some stakeholders have about adverse impacts of scallop dredging on the habitat. While many studies indicate that fishing has relatively little long term impact on the types of high energy habitats scallops inhabit, management takes the precautionary approach of minimizing the swept area of the fishery. The 2016 projection for swept area is 3,600 square nautical miles. This is down from the 16,000 square nautical miles fished in the 1990’s, which produced substantially less yields — another major benefit of the rotational fishing strategy.

The scallop fishery also had an issue with the bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles in the mid-Atlantic; estimates suggested that the fishery killed or injured over 700 loggerheads in 2003 alone. The industry and its scientific partners have since developed gear solutions and now virtually no turtle mortality has been observed.

By solving issues related to scallop stock management, bycatch, habitat, and protected species, the U.S. scallop producers applied for and received the “Certified Sustainable Seafood” credential from the Marine Stewardship Council, aiding in the worldwide marketing of the U.S. sea scallop.

See the full story at the Northeast Agriculture Insights and Perspectives.

New ways to fight human-rights abuses in the global seafood industry

April 14, 2016 — When Bayani secured an overseas job in the fishing industry from a broker in his home country of the Philippines, it was about finding work that he was skilled at and enjoyed and that could support his family. He didn’t expect to be forced to fish illegally, to be imprisoned on a fishing boat, or to have his passport and other documents withheld by his employer. Even so, had his family back home been receiving his salary, as he thought was happening, he said he might have kept quiet. But when Bayani learned a third-party was skimming his pay for an alleged debt owed by his employer, he decided to break his silence regardless of the consequences.

Bayani’s ordeal lasted for months during which he feared for his own wellbeing and that of his family. But because he had access to a mobile phone and a former employer who had leverage with his current employer, he eventually escaped his ordeal. Many other fishers in the global fishing industry aren’t so lucky. Bayani was not kidnapped and enslaved. He did not witness murder, child labor, or sexual abuse — all well documented occurrences in seafood supply chains.

Human-rights abuses in the seafood industry have grabbed headlines, causing governments, NGOs, businesses, and individual consumers to consider a more holistic view of sustainability — one that incorporates social as well as environmental responsibility. Recently, new approaches to improving the industry’s human-rights record have emerged. These often involve adding a social dimension to sustainable-seafood certification schemes or improving oversight via technological fixes. However, experts have yet to agree on which approaches are likely to work or which to embrace, given how bad the situation is.

See the full story at Mongabay

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation to Hold its First China Skipper Workshop

April 5, 2016 — WASHINGTON — On April 6, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) will expand its global series of skipper workshops to China for the first time since the Foundation began the unique platform for knowledge exchange in 2009. The Shanghai workshop is the result of a collaboration between ISSF and the China Overseas Fisheries Association (COFA) and will engage tuna purse seine fishers, crew members and fleet managers in an event that seeks to share best practices for sustainable tuna fishing and mitigate fishing’s impact on the marine ecosystem.

“ISSF skipper workshops have reached more than 900 skippers to date, covering nine fleets in 2015 alone,” said Dr. Victor Restrepo, Vice President of Science at ISSF and chair of its Scientific Advisory Committee. “With roughly 790 large scale purse seine vessels operating today, we know we are engaging a substantial portion of the purse seine capacity on a global basis. Expanding these workshops to the Chinese fleet is an imperative next step as we work toward the global development and adoption of best practices for bycatch reduction and more in the world’s tuna fisheries.”

“We are pleased to welcome ISSF to Shanghai to help us continue to make improvements to ensure that bycatch is mitigated, that there is better compliance by Chinese tuna fishing fleet on bycatch measures adopted by t-RFMOs, and that tuna stocks remain healthy,” said Zhao Gang of COFA.

Dr. Jefferson Murua, with the Marine Research Division of Azti-Tecnalia, will lead the workshop in Shanghai. For seven years, ISSF has commissioned scientist presenters to traverse the world in an effort to share best practices with tuna fishers in every port. The outreach focuses on purse seine fisheries, where the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) is often employed, and emphasizes the importance of maximizing the survival of species. Particular attention is paid to species like sharks and rays, and reducing waste from small tuna and other fish species. The workshops are also an important opportunity for scientists to dialogue with fishers about what techniques and tools may be most successfully implemented given the variable dynamics of the world’s tuna fisheries. These interactions, in turn, help inform ISSF’s bycatch research priorities as ISSF continues to identify and advance sustainable fishing practices. Previous skipper workshops have been held in Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, Ghana, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, USA, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, American Samoa and more. Additional workshops in 2016 will target the fleets of Indonesia, China, Spain, Ecuador, Ghana, USA and Venezuela.

In addition, all ISSF participating companies – tuna processors and marketers that represent around 75% of the world’s tuna processing capacity – are required to purchase tuna from vessels whose skippers have reviewed these best practices, either by attending a workshop in person or taking advantage of ISSF’s additional skipper outreach materials, specifically ISSF skipper workshop videos or skippers guidebooks, both of which are available in multiple languages. Participating companies are audited against this commitment annually, the results of which are shared in the aggregate in an annual compliance report as part of ISSF’s annual report.

This multi-faceted effort – from on-the-ground workshops to company commitment and compliance auditing and reporting – are part of ISSF’s holistic work to help tuna fisheries make continuous improvements as they edge closer to becoming more robustly sustainable and capable of meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification standard without conditions.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the first Canadian Atlantic cod stock shows positive progress

The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

TORONTO – March 22, 2016 — The Canada Newfoundland 3Ps cod fishery has become the country’s first Atlantic cod fishery to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as sustainable and well managed.

This milestone certification marks a new page in the history of Atlantic cod in Canada. It signals to the world that collaborative efforts from fisheries, industry, government and NGOs have the power to improve the health of fish stocks while sustaining hope for the communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods.

Meeting the world’s most recognized standard for sustainability

To achieve MSC certification the 3Ps cod fishery demonstrated that it meets a high bar of sustainability set by the MSC Fishery Standard.  Widely recognized as the world’s most credible and robust standard for sustainable fishing, the MSC Standard is founded on three principles: a healthy fish stock, protection of the surrounding marine ecosystem, and effective fishery management.

“We are proud of the work completed by everyone involved in the journey to achieving MSC certification for 3Ps cod,” says Alberto Wareham, CEO of Icewater Seafoods Ltd, a member of the client group for the MSC certification. “As the seventh generation of my family working in this fishery, sustainability is important to us. I know it is also important to our customers and we are confident that the MSC certification will provide the assurance that our cod comes from a sustainable and well-managed source. It will also help the fishery remain sustainable through the natural ecosystem variations experienced off our coasts.

See the full release at the Marine Stewardship Council

Marine Stewardship Council: New research reveals levels of consumer trust in seafood labelling

March 16, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Early results from the MSC’s latest survey of more than 16,000 seafood consumers show that more than half (55%) doubt that the seafood they consume is what it says on the packet. Across the 21 countries surveyed, 65% of those purchasing seafood say they want to know that their fish can be traced back to a known and trusted source, with six in ten (63%) saying they look to ecolabels as a trusted source of information.

The findings come as the organisation today released results from its DNA testing of MSC labelled seafood products. In 2015, the MSC commissioned the Wildlife DNA Forensics unit at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to conduct DNA tests on a random sample of 257 MSC labelled seafood products from 16 countries. The test verifies that the species described on the packaging is the same as that in the product. The DNA test results show that over 99%* of MSC labelled products are correctly labelled.

MSC CEO Rupert Howes said, “Given a recent academic study showing that globally around 30% of seafood is mislabelled**, the results of the MSC’s DNA testing program are very positive. Seafood sold with the blue MSC label can be traced back to a sustainable source, and our robust chain of custody requirements provide reassurance that it’s correctly labelled.”

The latest round of DNA testing is the fifth to be commissioned by the MSC. Previous results also showed very little mislabelling. The results are captured in a new report, Ocean to plate: how DNA testing helps to ensure traceable sustainable seafood.

Mr Howes adds: “High profile food scares such as the European horsemeat scandal have left many consumers wary of claims made on food packaging. Food fraud undermines the efforts of reputable fishers and traders and has led to wide recognition of the need for credible traceability in the supply chain. The MSC Chain of Custody program is one of the most recognised and widely used ways of providing this reassurance to seafood consumers and businesses.”

Fishers, processors, retailers and chefs handling MSC certified sustainable seafood must follow strict requirements to ensure that seafood is traceable and correctly labelled. The MSC Chain of Custody Standard is used by international seafood suppliers, brands and retailers such as IKEA, McDonalds, Iglo and Lidl to ensure the integrity of their products.

Alfredd Schumm, WWF’s Smart Fishing Initiative leader said: “By preferentially purchasing sustainable seafood, consumers are rewarding responsible fishers and their efforts to safeguard our marine resources. A traceable supply chain, from the consumer back to sustainable fisheries, is fundamental to consumers’ trust and confidence in the seafood they’re buying. The MSC’s requirements for traceability are essential if we are to maintain healthy fish populations and ocean ecosystems.”

There are more than 20,000 MSC labelled products available in around 100 countries.

The MSC has released a new animation showing the journey of MSC certified seafood from ocean to plate. Follow: #OceanToPlate.

Read the release online at Reuters

New DNA results answer consumers’ demand for trust in seafood

March 15, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. seafood consumers say they want to know that their fish can be traced back to a known and trusted source, with 58 percent saying they look to ecolabels as a trusted source of information. Globally, 55 percent doubt that the seafood they consume is what it says on the package. These findings are from the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) latest survey of more than 16,000 seafood consumers across 21 countries.

Today, the MSC also released results from DNA tests showing that over 99 percent* of MSC ecolabeled products are correctly labeled. In 2015, the MSC commissioned the Wildlife DNA Forensics unit at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to conduct DNA tests on a random sample of 257 MSC ecolabeled seafood products from 16 countries. The test verifies that the species described on the packaging is the same as that in the product. By comparison, Oceana’s nationwide survey in 2013 found one-third (33 percent) of U.S. seafood samples genetically analyzed were mislabeled. 

Commenting on the results, Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director – Americas, said, “The MSC’s DNA results prove you can trust that seafood sold with the blue MSC ecolabel really is what the package says it is and can be traced from ocean to plate. Last month, the U.S. government announced proposed rules that would require tracking to combat illegal fishing and fraud. Many businesses are left wondering whether they’re selling seafood that was produced legally and sustainably. MSC certification means consumers and businesses can be confident that MSC ecolabeled fish has been caught legally and can be traced back to a sustainable source.”

The latest round of DNA testing is the fifth to be commissioned by the MSC. Previous results also showed very little mislabeling of MSC ecolabeled seafood. The MSC’s DNA testing program and results are captured in a new report, Ocean to plate: How DNA testing helps to ensure traceable sustainable seafood.

MSC ecolabeled fish is sold and processed by certified organizations operating in more than 38,000 sites in over 100 countries. Fishers, processors, retailers and chefs handling MSC certified seafood must follow strict requirements to ensure that seafood is traceable and correctly labeled. The MSC Chain of Custody Standard is used by leading brands in driving awareness and consumer education on sustainable seafood such as Whole Foods, McDonald’s, and IKEA to ensure the integrity of the products they sell.

Susan Forsell, Vice President, Sustainability, McDonald’s USA said: “We know our customers care about where their food comes from, which is why McDonald’s USA is proud to only serve fish sourced from a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable fishery. This means that our customers can confidently know that the wild-caught, Alaska Pollock they enjoy on our Filet-O-Fish sandwich can be traced back to sustainably managed fisheries, direct from the pristine waters of Alaska.”

Cape group pushes dogfish as viable seafood option

March 9, 2016 — BOSTON — The Seafood Expo is the largest seafood show in North America covering over 516,000 square feet of exhibition space this week at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

For the second year in a row, members of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance spent three days talking dogfish with international and national buyers and sellers, and executive chefs at the show as part of an ongoing campaign to put the small shark on restaurant menus and on the dinner table as a sustainably caught, local whitefish.

“I think the market is gigantic and, if you talk to the fishermen in Chatham, they will tell you, you can’t drop a hook in the water without getting a dogfish. Between those two facts, (the market) will continue to build over time, but it’s already gaining a lot of traction,” said Michael Dimin, founder of Sea to Table, a company that markets artisanal fish directly to chefs across the country.

Processers successfully campaigned to get dogfish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council a few years back because the population was booming and the dogfish daily trip limit is kept low at 5,000 pounds. Chatham catches about 6 million pounds out of the state’s 9 million pounds in annual landings. The total landings of 16 million pounds fall far below the 50 million pounds scientists consider a sustainable catch.

Compared with other species, dogfish, a small coastal shark, are close to shore and easy to catch. Cod are now far offshore, as are haddock, and monkfish involves a three-day trip, hundreds of miles roundtrip in relatively small boats.

Read the full story at Cape Cod Times