Saving Seafood

Adjudicator shoots down objections to MSC certification of Atlantic menhaden

August 1, 2019 — An independent adjudicator has dismissed nearly all of the objections raised against granting the Atlantic menhaden fishery certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Omega Protein, the Houston, Texas-based division of Canada’s Cooke filed for the MSC label for both Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico menhaden fisheries in June 2017 and received a positive recommendation from SAI Global for the Atlantic fishery in March 2019.

But the request also received two objections, one from the Nature Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the other by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TCRP), the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Sportfishing Association.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Independent Adjudicator Rejects Objections to Atlantic Menhaden MSC Certification, Requests Clarification On One Point

July 31, 2019 — Today, an independent adjudicator found that most of the objections raised to the certification of the Atlantic menhaden fishery against the Marine Stewardship Council standard are unsubstantiated, dismissing all but one involving the future adoption of ecologically based management, where he is seeking language clarification.

Omega Protein filed for MSC certification for the Atlantic menhaden fishery in 2017, and the fishery was officially recommended for certification by independent certification body SAI Global earlier this year.

Two separate objections to SAI Global’s recommendation were filed: one by the Nature Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the other by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Sportfishing Association.

After a July 8 hearing at the MSC Office in Washington, D.C., involving all parties, the independent adjudicator, Eldon V.C. Greenberg, found most of the objectors’ claims to be unconvincing.

For example, Mr. Greenberg wrote that the objectors’ assertion that “more recent data” showed that bycatch in the menhaden fishery was higher than previously estimated was “incorrect,” and that low bycatch levels in the fishery do not warrant more significant NOAA observer coverage. He also echoed Omega Protein’s argument that SAI Global was within its right to consider that menhaden management is “conservative and precautionary,” and that current harvest quota “essentially presents a 0% risk of exceeding overfishing thresholds.”

Significantly, Mr. Greenberg backed up SAI Global’s finding that, while the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) continues to work on ecosystem-based management of menhaden, it is enough that there is “a suite of measures in place that act together to avoid ecosystem risks.”

Another main argument made by the objectors involved the cap on menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay of 51,000 mt, created by the ASMFC but not adopted by the state of Virginia. The objectors essentially argued that SAI Global should have made an independent judgment of the different management regimes of the ASMFC and Virginia, according to Mr. Greenberg.

On this topic, Mr. Greenberg wrote that SAI Global and Omega Protein “have the better of the argument.” He cited Omega Protein’s arguments that the Bay cap has never actually been exceeded, and that the ASMFC has not found the state of Virginia out of compliance with its management plan, writing, “In the absence of any action by the Commission, [SAI Global] would be treading on shaky ground indeed to find non-compliance on its own initiative, especially when the [total allowable catch] has never actually been exceeded.”

Only on the issue of ecologically based management did Mr. Greenberg not fully dismiss the objectors’ claims. He requested SAI Global issue language clarifying which jurisdictions need to implement the soon-expected ecologically based management measures, and how they are required to implement them. Mr. Greenberg stated that only the language should be changed, but added that there should be no changes to justifications for the recommendation. SAI Global now has 10 days to provide the clarifying language.

Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries have also jointly filed for MSC certification for the Gulf menhaden fishery, which has also received a preliminary recommendation for certification by SAI Global.

Atlantic Capes Fisheries launches stuffed clams, scallops line aimed at millennials

July 23, 2019 — Atlantic Capes Fisheries is launching a line of frozen stuffed clams and scallops for retail and foodservice.

The Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based harvester, processor, and marketer of Marine Stewardship Council-certified scallops and North Atlantic seafood is launching the new value-added seafood items under the Galilean’s Kitchen brand.

First, it will roll out Galilean’s Kitchen New England Style Stuffed Clams in a nine-count package for retail and a 36-count pack for foodservice. Then, Galilean’s Kitchen will launch Stuffed Scallops and Gourmet Stuffed Clam Flights, in four flavors: Bacon & Cheddar, Thai Chili Lime, Mediterranean, and Portuguese-style.

While the Matlaw’s brand of stuffed clams has been on the market for years, “Galilean’s Kitchen products are a much higher quality than competition,” Steve Zevitas, vice president and sales manager at Atlantic Capes, told SeafoodSource. “We are targeting the millennials with the gourmet line of flavors, Stuffed Clam Flights.”

The New England Stuffed Clams are made from sweet and briny hand-shucked Atlantic surf clams, fleet-direct from Atlantic Capes’ boats, and mixed with onions, red bell peppers, garlic, and seasoning.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US groundfish fishery returning to its former glory, stakeholders say

July 22, 2019 — Last weekend’s Slow Food Nations Festival – a Denver, Colorado-based event showcasing sustainable and traceable food – was well represented by the U.S. West Coast groundfish fishery, which is exhibiting an impressive turnaround after it was decimated in the 1990’s.

The fishery, which consists predominantly of species of rockfish and flatfish, was collapsing due to overfishing about two decades ago. Thanks to conservation efforts, the recovery has been massively successful, with only two stocks down from the 10 classified as overfished. The two currently overfished groundfish stocks in the region are on the road to being rebuilt in coming years.

Even though the recovery of the fishery has been a smashing success thus far, demand for the fish has been languishing behind the supply, stakeholders say.

“The challenge at this point is that the economic performance is not coming up to where it’s being viewed as a profitable fishery by industry,” said Environmental Defense Fund Pacific Fisheries Policy Manager Melissa Mahoney. “That’s mainly because… when that fishery collapsed, [groundfish] lost their market share and at the same time, tilapia was coming in. So we’ve had the substitution of cheaper consistent whitefish in that market. As the fishery has recovered and the fishermen are able to catch more rockfish with more consistency, there’s this chicken-and-egg thing with getting the market back.”

The EDF has been working on the West Coast groundfish fishery for over 10 years and is deeply involved in shaping policy. Mahoney is also on the board of Positively Groundfish, a non-profit formed by a group of industry stakeholders – including Oregon State University, Marine Stewardship Council, fishermen, fish processors, etc. – to help coordinate and unify the efforts around getting the West Coast groundfish market going again.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US skate fishery approved for MSC certificate

June 24, 2019 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has certified the U.S. Atlantic winter skate fishery in the Northwest Atlantic against its fisheries standard.

The assessment was requested by the Sustainable Fisheries Association, which includes Cape Ann Seafood Exchange, Inc.; Marder Trawling, Inc.; and Seatrade International. Carried about by assessment body MRAG Americas, Inc., the certification process was completed as part of a scope extension under the U.S. Atlantic spiny dogfish fishery certificate, MSC said.

“Congratulations to Sustainable Fisheries Association on achieving MSC certification for another well managed U.S. fishery,” said Brian Perkins, the regional director of the Americas for the MSC. “They have demonstrated their hard work in sustaining the skate fishery, and in meeting the MSC fisheries sustainability standard.”

John Whiteside, an attorney who represents the Sustainable Fisheries Association, said the certification will be effective until 2024, with routine annual audits conduction at various intervals within that timeframe to ensure continuous compliance with the MSC’s standard.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

The Marine Stewardship Council and Whole Foods Market Celebrate 20 Years of Sustainable Seafood

June 18, 2019 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is celebrating 20 years of partnership with Whole Foods Market on sustainable seafood. In 1999, Whole Foods Market became the first US retailer to partner with the MSC to make certified sustainable seafood available to customers around the US. MSC’s longest standing retail partner created sustainable seafood as a concept for consumers by sourcing MSC certified seafood and selling products with the MSC blue fish logo.

One example of Whole Foods Market’s leadership on sustainable seafood is the sourcing of Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean seabass. Whole Foods Market discontinued the sale of Patagonian toothfish in 1999 due to overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated catch. In response to the problems in the toothfish fishery, the local government of South Georgia and environmental organizations worked to implement improvements in the fishery’s management system and pursued MSC certification to ensure long-term sustainability of the fishery. Ultimately, after obtaining third-party certification of the fishery and the required Chain of Custody under the MSC program, the fishery attained certification in 2004. Two years later, Whole Foods Market became the first retailer to sell MSC certified sustainable toothfish with the MSC blue fish label indicating to consumers that the fish came from a responsible, well-managed fishery. Having seen the benefits that MSC certification brought to South Georgia, including the potential to reach Whole Foods Market customers, other toothfish fisheries soon followed suit. Today, illegal fishing is at its lowest recorded in the fishery. Improved management, smarter practices and MSC certification have made Patagonian toothfish a viable option for consumers who want to enjoy seafood that’s good for them, and good for the oceans.

“Whole Foods Market’s longstanding partnership with the MSC is a testament to their dedication to sustainable seafood supplies and to its significant role in creating a marketplace for sustainable seafood,” said Brian Perkins, MSC’s Regional Director for the Americas. “We’re proud to celebrate 20 years of partnership with Whole Foods Market and are honored to have their leadership and foresight in safeguarding fish populations, and in making sure consumers have access to MSC certified sustainable seafood for this and future generations.”

Recent research by leading research consultancy GlobeScan found that 81% of North American seafood consumers agree that fish and seafood must be protected for future generations. These findings demonstrate the important role retailers play in creating a marketplace for sustainable seafood and help retailers like Whole Food Market to ensure they can meet consumers desires to shop sustainably.

During the month of June, fish counters at Whole Foods Markets around the country will be celebrating the partnership with special messaging about the 20 year anniversary.

Human rights groups criticize MSC’s new Chain of Custody Standard

June 11, 2019 — Thirteen human rights and environmental groups have released a statement criticizing the effectiveness of the Marine Stewardship Council’s new Chain of Custody Standard.

The 13 groups – including Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace, Freedom Fund, the International Labor Rights Forum, and more – have criticized the program’s new standard, saying that the standards will not be effective enough to identify and protect seafood workers from labor rights violations and abuse. The groups, which are a part of the Thai Seafood Working Group, have a number of concerns about the standard.

A key concern, according to the joint statement, is the classification of countries into “low-risk” and “high-risk” categories, with due diligence in certification required only in “high-risk” countries.

“The way that MSC defines the criteria for risk will allow seafood operations that may have serious labor abuses – such as processing and shrimp-peeling facilities – to be certified without any labor due diligence simply because they are in countries classified as low risk,” ILRF Executive Director Judy Gearhart said in a release.

Another point of criticism is the process on-shore operators – like processing facilities – will need to undergo to obtain certification. The MSC standard is for companies to undergo one of three labor audits recognized by the organization: Amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative, SEDEX SMETA, or Social Accountability International’s SA8000.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC Recommends Certification for Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Fishery

June 6, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery was recommened by independent certification body SAI Global for certification against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard.

The two participants that requested to be evaluated for MSC certification are Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries. Omega Protein was recommended for MSC certification as an Atlantic menhaden fishery back in March.

“The recommendation for MSC certification for our Gulf of Mexico operations is a testament to the hard work we’ve put in over many years to conduct responsible operations,” said Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein. “The fact that both of the nation’s menhaden fisheries have now been recommended for MSC certification should assure customers and the public alike that our products meet the highest standards of sustainability.”

Fisheries must score a minimum of 60 out of 100 in 28 performance indicators in three categories; sustainability of the stock, efforts to minimize environmental impacts and effective management, to earn certification.

In its recommendation, SAI Global highlighted the menhaden fishery for its extensive surveys, monitoring for menhaden stock and the ecosystem, strong management plan and a robust governance and policy framework.

“Sustainable fishing is important for both the environment and for the future of our business,” said Scott Herbert, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Daybrook Fisheries. “MSC certification will help this fishery meet the demand for sustainable products, while continuing to be an economic engine here for years to come.”

A December 2018 benchmark stock assesment of the Gulf menhaden saw that the population is healthy and managed sustainably. The stock faced no overfishing as well.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery gets MSC recommendation

June 5, 2019 — The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery has been recommended for certification against Marine Stewardship Council standards by SAI Global, Omega Protein announced 4 June.

The recommendation means that both U.S. menhaden fisheries – Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico – have gained recommendation for MSC certification. Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries, the two companies that participate in the Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery, requested the evaluation in 2017.

“The recommendation for MSC certification for our Gulf of Mexico operations is a testament to the hard work we’ve put in over many years to conduct responsible operations,” Omega Protein CEO Bret Scholtes said in a release. “The fact that both of the nation’s menhaden fisheries have now been recommended for MSC certification should assure customers and the public alike that our products meet the highest standards of sustainability.”

The Atlantic fishery was recommended for certification back in December, also from SAI Global.

The certification process hasn’t been without objections from competing groups such as recreational fishermen, whale watchers, and environmental nonprofits. The Atlantic fishery, in particular, has seen recreational groups formally object to the fishery gaining MSC certification.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery recommended for MSC; Atlantic hung up

June 5, 2019  — Now both of the US’ big purse seine menhaden fisheries have been recommended for certification by the Marine Stewardship Council, though how fast harvesters and processors are able to start carrying the label remains to be seen.

Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries, on Tuesday, announced that the menhaden fishery in the Gulf of Mexico has been recommended for MSC by the independent certification body SAI Global. Stakeholders now have 15 working days to submit formal objections to an independent adjudicator.

Houston, Texas-based Omega Protein, acquired by Canada’s Cooke in late 2017, and Daybrook, an Empire, Louisiana-based wholly owned subsidiary of South Africa’s Oceana Group, both source menhaden from the gulf and requested MSC certification in June 2017.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News