Saving Seafood

California Seeks to Modify Coldwater Pink Shrimp Management

March 31, 2022 — Rules that Oregon and Washington pink shrimp trawlers are already accustomed to may be implemented in California soon.

The California Fish and Game Commission will consider changes to its pink shrimp fishery management plan when it meets in June.

“The effort to develop and implement this FMP began in 2017, and the adoption of the FMP by the Commission is expected in April 2022,” the Notice of Proposed Regulations reads, although the Commission calendar now has the action scheduled in June. “The purpose of the FMP and its implementing regulation is to update the management of California’s pink shrimp fishery to be in line with Oregon and Washington. Updating the fishery’s management would also assist the fishery in obtaining the Marine Stewardship Council certification. This effort is expected to result in a more sustainable and less environmentally impactful fishery.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Russian pollock keeps MSC certification, but certification body’s future in Russia uncertain

March 30, 2022 — The Vladivostok, Russia-based Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) will be able to keep its Marine Stewardship Council certification so long as it follows through on a plan to conduct more-sustainable fishing in three fishing zones in 2022.

The decision came as the association and the Russian government shared concerns that the MSC may be forced to suspend its presence in the country due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the international sanctions levied against Russia in response.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Prestige Oysters is the first MSC-certified oyster fishery in the Americas

February 18, 2022 — Prestige Oyster private oyster fishery, based in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana, has become the first Marine Stewardship Council-certified oyster fishery in the Americas and the sixth oyster fishery certified globally.

Prestige Oysters is a family-owned fishery based in San Leon, Texas, U.S.A., and considered a wild oyster fishery – a rarity as 95 percent of oysters consumed in restaurants in the U.S. are farm-raised. The certification allows Prestige Oyster products to carry the MSC blue fish label.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Changes to MSC fisheries standard up for public review

February 4, 2022 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has initiated a 60-day public review of its proposed updates to the MSC fisheries standard, with stakeholders having until 4 April to review and provide feedback.

More than 446 fisheries, representing about 17 percent of the global wild marine harvest, are certified to the MSC fisheries standard – which is regularly reviewed for best practices in fisheries management. The current fisheries standard review began in 2018, and has included the participation of over 1,000 stakeholders. The draft standard has been approved by the MSC’s board of trustees and is now moving into the final stage of public review.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Make Stewardship Count Coalition raises concerns about new MSC standard

January 24, 2022 — The Make Stewardship Count Coalition is raising concerns that the latest draft of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards, being released on 1 February, 2022, will not improve the requirements for achieving its sustainable seafood certification.

The Make Stewardship Count Coalition consists of more than 90 NGOs, experts, organizations, and researchers with the collective aim of pushing for improvements to the MSC standard and certification. The coalition has released a set of scorecards that evaluated the multiyear process of the MSC fisheries standard review, which included a list of critical flaws in the seafood certification program. According to the scorecards, though MSC increased engagement opportunities during the review, the final stage of consultations lacks transparency.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Wild Alaska Pollock Named a 2021 MSC US Ocean Champion

January 20, 2022 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC):

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) today awarded Wild Alaska Pollock the 2021 MSC US Ocean Champion Award for their continued dedication and longstanding commitment to seafood sustainability. Represented by the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) on the fishery side, and by the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) on the marketing side, the Wild Alaska Pollock fishery has been a leader in sustainable fisheries management for decades. GAPP and APA join three other MSC partners named Ocean Champion in 2021.

The Award was presented to APA last month in Seattle, and today GAPP received the award at the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Marketing Conference in Orlando.

“I am proud to recognize the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) and Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers for their collaborative efforts to ensure a sustainable wild Alaska pollock fishery,” said Erika Feller, MSC Americas regional director. “We at MSC appreciate the partnership with both organizations and the incredible job they have done to spotlight Wild Alaska Pollock as one of the healthiest and most sustainable sources of protein.”

The MSC US Ocean Champion Award is an annual award that was established in 2017 to reward fisheries and companies engaged in the MSC program who demonstrate continued leadership on sustainability. Wild Alaska Pollock is recognized not only for its results but the transparency provided by the industry: independent observers actively participate in the fishing process, and publicly monitored flow scales are used to verify the accuracy of the harvests of Wild Alaska Pollock and the low amounts of incidental catches of other species. Observers also collect critical information that enables fishery scientists to ascertain the overall and on-going health of the fishery.

“Wild Alaska Pollock is good for our consumers and harvested in a way that is good for the planet. This award is a well-deserved tribute to all who conscientiously operate this fishery and celebrates our passion for sustainable fishery management,” said Mikel Durham, Chair of the GAPP Board of Directors. “We feel so strongly about conserving our fisheries and reducing our impact that we self-funded an industry-wide, 3rd-party-verified assessment last year to further increase the transparency of our ecological footprint. This MSC award is another important step in our mission to share our story with customers and consumers who are looking to make food choices based on environmental impact.”

Past award honorees include the Annette Island Reserve Salmon Fishery/Metlakatla Indian Community, Bamboo Sushi and the Sustainable Restaurant Group, Bar Harbor Foods, EcoFish, Sam’s Club Health & Wellness Team, TransOcean, US Foods, Vital Choice Seafood, and Whole Foods Market. Awardees are selected based on their demonstrated leadership and the ability to spark positive change within the industry. The custom glass award featuring a wave is handmade in downtown Seattle, WA.

Sourcing sustainable seafood is increasingly important for planetary health, and a growing priority for consumers. The ocean feeds billions of people and provides 80% of the world’s biodiversity. A report by the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) shows that sustainable fisheries are more productive and resilient to change, and the UN Environment Program reports that sustainable fishing protects ocean biodiversity. For seafood consumers, eating sustainable fish is increasingly important, with 55% of U.S. seafood consumers believing we must consume seafood only from sustainable sources to protect the ocean. Furthermore, 64% of Americans want retailers’ and brands’ claims about sustainability and the environment to be clearly labeled by an independent organization, such as the MSC. APA and GAPP’s leadership in sourcing and marketing certified sustainable seafood is testament to their hard work and dedication to ensuring wild seafood is available for generations to come.

 

Pew Trusts, MSC Say WCPFC Need to Work Faster to Adopt Sustainable Tuna Harvest Strategies

December 9, 2021 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) warned that 22 tuna fisheries in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) are at-risk of certification suspension after “disappointing progress” was made at the annual meeting of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) this month.

The MSC explained that the 28 MSC-certified fisheries in the WCPO have timebound conditions of certification to the MSC’s standard for sustainable fishing which requires harvest strategy adoption by 2023.

“Harvest strategies – or the rules which ensure the long-term management of stocks – act as a ‘safety net’ if currently healthy fish stocks begin to decline. They are fundamental to sound fisheries management, and are critical to future health of the stocks, especially for highly migratory species like tuna which span geopolitical boundaries,” the MSC wrote in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Ongoing certification of Western Central Pacific tuna fisheries hangs in the balance

December 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

A critical intergovernmental meeting has ended without the necessary progress to ensure long-term sustainable tuna fishing in the Western Central Pacific, but there is still time for country delegations to act to secure ongoing certification for skipjack and South Pacific albacore. 

Twenty-two tuna fisheries in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) face an increasing risk of suspension of their certification to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing following disappointing progress at this month’s annual meeting of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).  

All 28 MSC certified tuna fisheries in the WCPO have timebound conditions of certification that require the adoption of harvest strategies by June 2023.

Harvest strategies – or the rules which ensure the long-term management of stocks – act as a ‘safety net’ if currently healthy fish stocks begin to decline. They are fundamental to sound fisheries management, and are critical to future health of the stocks, especially for highly migratory species like tuna which span geopolitical boundaries [1]. 

This week’s meeting of the 26 member delegations of the WCPFC [2] was a critical opportunity to make progress towards developing the science basis and management measure agreements needed to deliver these conditions.  

Negotiations on harvest strategies were however, postponed until December 2022 for skipjack and South Pacific albacore, and 2024 for yellowfin and bigeye. Despite this lack of progress, the commission did agree to hold a two-day science management meeting in August 2022, which could result in recommendations on harvest strategies in time for December 2022.

As a result, ongoing certification of skipjack and albacore beyond June 2023 is possible, but will now be dependent upon agreement and adoption of harvest strategies at the December 2022 meeting. With the delay until 2024 for WCPFC to adopt new harvest strategies for yellowfin and bigeye tuna, it is increasingly likely fisheries with certificates for these stocks will face suspension by their auditors in June 2023.

This slow progress will be particularly disappointing for retailers, brands and other supply chain companies which have committed to source tuna that meets the highest standards for environmental performance. Reflecting the value placed on MSC certification, 112 companies wrote in October to the Heads of Delegation at the WCPFC demanding that they accelerate action to develop comprehensive, harvest strategies across all tuna stocks. These calls included and have been supported by the Global Tuna Alliance, an independent group of retailers and tuna supply chain companies, responsible for tuna purchases worth USD$1.27 billion in 2020.

Tuna from the WCPO makes up over half of the global commercial tuna catch, making these tuna stocks the world’s most commercially important. Currently 85% of all MSC certified tuna caught comes from the WCPO. 78% of the MSC certified tuna caught in the WCPO is skipjack. The volume of tuna products sold with the blue MSC label has increased significantly in the past 5 years from 40,000 to 110,000 tonnes.

The growing demand for certified sustainable seafood choices has already driven improvements in fishing practices in the region.  For instance, fisheries such as the Fiji Abacore and yellowfin tuna fishery have introduced a number of measures to reduce bycatch. Using longlines to catch tuna, the fishery switched from wire, which can accidently entrap sharks, to monofilament traces which sharks can bite through. The fishery also fishes in deeper waters to avoid sharks. It has also increased transparency and accountability, such as through using electronic monitoring systems and installing onboard cameras on more than 50 of its boats.

The MSC joins with many others in calling for the WCPFC to make concrete progress towards the adoption of harvest strategies at the newly scheduled science management meeting in August, regular science and technical compliance committee meetings and agree and adopt harvest strategies at its next full meeting in December 2022. The MSC also calls on all those with an interest in the long-term sustainable management of our oceans to support this effort. Failure could not only result in the loss of MSC certification of these fisheries, but also leaves the long-term health of tuna in the WCPO in question and is forcing tuna buyers to look elsewhere to satisfy their sustainable sourcing commitments.  

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive Officer at the Marine Stewardship Council said: “The outcome of this week’s WCPFC meeting is disappointing for the fisheries, retailers, brands and supply chain companies which have worked so hard to achieve and support the high level of sustainability required for MSC certification. The unprecedented support for these fisheries to maintain their current MSC certifications from supermarkets and tuna brands from around the world demonstrates the growing market demand for and commitment to continue to source sustainable seafood despite the economic pressures and impacts of the current pandemic.  MSC certification provides the assurance the market demands. MSC urges all those committed to seeing our oceans fished sustainably and the implementation of the UN’s Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for the Ocean to urge their governments and delegations to do all they can to accelerate the development and adoption of harvest strategies and control rules that underpin sustainable fisheries management.”

 

Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment

November 12, 2021 — The Gulf menhaden population has once again been confirmed to be sustainably harvested, based on the results of a recently approved stock assessment conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Managers at the GSMFC approved the final assessment at their annual meeting in late October.

The assessment, which is based on data from the Gulf menhaden fishery for 2018-2020, finds that Gulf menhaden are neither overfished, nor are they experiencing overfishing. This confirms the results of the last major Gulf menhaden assessment, released in 2019, which reached the same conclusions about the health of the species.

The assessment document went so far as to state that ‘In general, there is little risk of overfishing or of being overfished.’ This statement truly drives home the point that this is a very healthy stock and responsible fishery.

Read the full story at the Albuquerque Express

 

Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment

November 10, 2021 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

The Gulf menhaden population has once again been confirmed to be sustainably harvested, based on the results of a recently approved stock assessment conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Managers at the GSMFC approved the final assessment at their annual meeting in late October.

The assessment, which is based on data from the Gulf menhaden fishery for 2018-2020, finds that Gulf menhaden are neither overfished, nor are they experiencing overfishing. This confirms the results of the last major Gulf menhaden assessment, released in 2019, which reached the same conclusions about the health of the species.

The assessment document went so far as to state that “In general, there is little risk of overfishing or of being overfished.” This statement truly drives home the point that this is a very healthy stock and responsible fishery.

“This latest assessment continues a long trend of positive information coming out about this fishery, which has long been healthy and sustainable,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fleet of menhaden fishing vessels.

“This positive assessment validates that the current Gulf menhaden fishing effort is at a level which is both responsible and sustainable,” said Francois Kuttel of Westbank Fishing.

In addition to its conclusions about the overall state of the Gulf menhaden stock, the assessment also finds several other positive indicators for the species. It found that menhaden abundance was particularly strong in 2018, and that fishing mortality is stable and well below historic highs. These indicators support the overall conclusion that overfishing is not an issue with Gulf menhaden.

Gulf menhaden has been internationally recognized as a sustainable fishery. Since 2019, the fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the most prominent international seafood certification program. Much like this assessment, the MSC certification cited the long-term health of the menhaden population, as well as noting the limited environmental impact of the fishery.