Saving Seafood

Study: Eco-labeling encourages sales of all kinds of seafood, not just sustainable products

November 1, 2018 — Shoppers will buy larger quantities of seafood – both sustainably certified and non-certified – when given information about eco-labels, new research has found.

Using previous surveys that had evidenced that price and taste matter most to people when they buy seafood, and also that shoppers have a tendency to buy the same products as friends and family members, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) decided to test what would happen if store customers were told that lots of other shoppers bought Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) labeled seafood.

Isabel Richter’s doctorate in environmental psychology at NTNU explored how people could be motivated to eat more sustainable seafood. She was granted permission to carry out an experiment in grocery stores in Norway and Germany.

Richter started by first putting up a sign with information about the MSC label on the seafood cooler. The cooler included salmon and cod both with and without the MSC label, with similar prices and weight.

In the next trials, she put up eight different signs with an image and label information – plus some wording telling shoppers that a percentage of the customers who shopped at that particular store chose to buy seafood with the MSC label.

Four of the signs said that more than 50 percent of the customers in the store selected eco-labeled products, while the other four signs said that less than 50 percent of customers did this.

In the Norwegian stores, about 70 percent of the products were not labeled. In Germany, the MSC eco-label is more widespread so several products included it.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC science director: Greater resolution needed in global fishing impact studies

October 25, 2018 — Michel Kaiser, the recently-appointed science and standards director at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), has stressed the need for higher resolution data when estimating the global fishing footprint, in an opinion piece on the Conversation.

The discussion comes after the publication of a report in February which estimated that 55% of the planet’s oceans had been affected by fishing activities. However, Kaiser said this study, which was created from analysis of squares roughly 3000 square kilometers in area, produces a figure that is off by a factor of ten when compared to a more recent August study produced using higher resolution data (1-3 sq. km).

The MSC science director also noted a study published in October 2018 looking into the global footprint of bottom trawling. The paper looked at 24 regions of the global continental shelf, each analyzed using squares of less than 9 sq. km. The team, from the State University of New Jersey, discovered that 24% of the measured areas had been affected by bottom trawling, one of the most destructive fishing practices.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Jeffrey Bolton replaces Daniel Cohen as CEO of Atlantic Capes Fisheries

October 19, 2018 — Cape May, New Jersey, U.S.A.-based scallop firm Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc., has appointed its longtime employee, Jeffrey Bolton, as its new chief executive officer.

Bolton, 57, has served as COO of the processing, sales, and marketing subsidiary of the company since 2003 and has worked in the seafood industry for 37 years.

Atlantic Capes’ primary product is scallops, though it also harvests, processes, and markets surf clams, lobster, crawfish, catfish, and other Mid-Atlantic species for retailers, distributors, and foodservice operators in the North American market. It has its own fleet of 17 sea scallop vessels and has sourcing agreements with an additional 50 independent boats, giving it an estimated 22 percent of all U.S. sea scallop landings. The company also owns Galilean Seafoods, a surf clam plant in Bristol, Rhode Island that produces Marine Stewardship Council clams shucked by hand.

David Cohen, the founder of Atlantic Capes, is stepping down as CEO but will continue to play an active role in the company as chairman of its board of directors. In a press release, he said he “will oversee the expansion of the board and its advisors to expand the diversity of advisors available to assist the new CEO.”

“Jeff joined us in 2003, and very simply, he has been a transformational figure here. Every step of the way, he led the growth and evolution of ACF from seasonal harvester of commodity shellfish to a world-class food company – a year-round supplier of finished products sold to multiple end-user channels,” Cohen said. “His execution made it possible for us to increase sales many times over and to create an organization that provides a gainful living to many hundreds of people. I am confident in Jeff’s abilities and excited for the future of the company under his full leadership.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Omega Protein close to netting MSC for menhaden

October 18, 2018 — The menhaden fisheries on both the Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico — North America’s largest source of fish for meal and oil – are within months of gaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, and Cooke Aquaculture is in a prime position to take advantage.

The Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada-based seafood giant recently acquired Omega Protein, the largest harvester of menhaden in both fisheries, and could, if it wanted, begin promoting at least some of its farmed salmon products as being fed a diet made from MSC-certified ingredients.

But it doesn’t, and it won’t.

“At this time, this is not our intention as we use other marine ingredients that come from various sustainably managed fisheries,” Joel Richardson, a Cooke spokesperson, told Undercurrent News in an email.

The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) fishery — which landed 164,880 metric tons of fish in 2016, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data — has received the required set of scores from independent MSC auditor SAI Global and all of the necessary signatures by state authorities and others, Ben Landry, Omega Protein’s public affairs specialist, told Undercurrent News this week.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Micronesia’s longline yellowfin tuna fishery achieves MSC certification

October 15, 2018 — The longline yellowfin tuna fishery in the exclusive economic zone of the Federated States of Micronesia has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

Three Chinese companies pursued the certification and own and operate the vessels in the fishery: Liancheng Overseas Fishery (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd (SZLC), China Southern Fishery Shenzhen Co. Ltd (CSFC) and Liancheng Overseas Fishery (FSM) Co. Ltd. (FZLC). The fishery produced 745 metric tons of yellowfin tuna in 2016.

“We are extremely proud to achieve this very significant achievement and to be a part of the MSC program,” Overseas Fishery (FSM) President Samuel Chou said in a press release. “We believe that, along with our other MSC certifications, Liancheng now has more MSC longline certifications than any other tuna fleet, and we remain dedicated to continuing our efforts to upgrade all our fisheries currently in fishery improvement projects to MSC status.”

The Federated States of Micronesia is composed of more than 600 islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, and fish and seafood products represent 95 percent of the country’s total exports. Eugene Pangelinan, director of Micronesia’s National Oceanic Resource Management Authority, which manages the country’s marine resources, said the certification represents a step forward in maintaining the country’s fishing effort as sustainable.

“Achieving MSC certification demonstrates our commitment to a sustainable fishery,” Pangelinan said. “We congratulate Liancheng for their achievement and we hope that this certification will generate more interest in joining our efforts to develop our longline fishery for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

Worldwide, more than one million metric tons of tuna caught per year is MSC certified, representing around 25 percent of the global tuna catch, according to MSC Oceania Program Director Anne Gabriel.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC to review consistency of its standard, interactions with endangered species

September 26, 2018 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has released its new terms of reference for its next fisheries standard review, after reversing its August decision which would have prevented vessels from fishing for both MSC and non-MSC certified fish simultaneously.

The new terms of reference describe the areas of the MSC’s standard that will be looked at in detail, and possibly revised, over the next three years.

The areas for review are divided into three sections: standard efficiency, standard effectiveness, and standard evolution.

Reviewing standard efficiency will involve looking at the structure of the MSC fisheries standard and identifying redundancy or overlap in the scoring system. It will also focus on ways to reduce the complexity of the standard and improve its compatibility with new digital tools that could improve data management MSC said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Russia’s biggest MSC certified fishery reconfirms sustainability

September 5, 2018 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

In a milestone development, the Russian Pollock Catchers Association’s Sea of Okhotsk Pollock fishery has received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for a second time. Once again confirmed as sustainable and well-managed, the fishery’s catch can carry the blue MSC label.

The fishery is one of the world’s largest suppliers of Pollock from the North Pacific, serving over 20 countries across five continents. Every five years MSC certified fisheries have to go through the full assessment process again to ensure they are continuing to meet the MSC Fisheries Standard. The assessment was carried out by third-party conformity assessment body Acoura Marine.

Continuous improvement

The Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) first obtained MSC certification in 2013. The fishery was given 8 conditions – improvement areas to address during the five-year certificate period – and all of these were closed. Three conditions were aimed at improving the scientific basis of stock assessment and fishery management and were met successfully. Another three conditions concentrated on minimizing the fishery’s impact on the Sea of Okhotsk ecosystem, including fishing operations’ interaction with Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species. Two further conditions were set for the management process. Closure of these conditions has led to greater transparency and closer involvement of stakeholders, including environmental NGOs.

Camiel Derichs, Director MSC Europe said: “Congratulations to the Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) on their recertification. Over the past five years, the PCA, scientists, management and NGO actors in Russia have worked hard to address the conditions placed on the fishery, resulting in real improvements. The progress achieved was recognised in the re-assessment, where the PCA received higher scores than previously for many assessment indicators.”

“As the only global wild capture fisheries standard meeting the ISEAL codes of good practice, the MSC reviews its standards every five years in light of progressing science and management best practice. As a result of the last Fisheries Standard Review (FSR), the MSC has adopted a new standard (version 2.0). Over the course of their new certification time frame, we hope the PCA will continue to make improvements to ensure a smooth transition to this new version of the MSC Standard,” he continued.

Read the full release here

Pew: Atlantic bluefin not ready for MSC certification

August 31, 2018 — The Pew Charitable Trusts has come out in opposition to a Japanese company’s attempt to get its Atlantic bluefin tuna longline fishery certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Last week, the council announced Usufuku Honten Co. Ltd. began the assessment process for the voluntary certification. It marked the first bluefin fishery to be assessed. Control Union Pesca Ltd. will perform the independent review, focusing on the Dai-ichi Shofuku-maru. The ship, which stays in the Atlantic Ocean all year, catches bluefin in October and November annually.

MSC certification is being sought because its process is designed to acknowledge fisheries that meet sustainable fishing management standards, Usufuku Honten said. The council, founded in 1997, has certified 296 fisheries located in 35 countries through its first 20 years of existence. That represents about one-eighth of the worldwide marine harvest. More than 38,000 groceries, restaurants, hotels, and other sites have also been certified to see the more than 25,000 products that come adorned with MSC’s blue label.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

MSC addresses forced labor, process issues in standards update

August 31, 2018 — The Marine Stewardship Council has announced an overhaul of its certification process after a review that lasted more than two years.

The changes include a new requirement that MSC-certified fisheries declare they are free from forced labor and child labor, and changes to the timeline of both when stakeholder input is accepted and to the dispute resolution process between parties seeking an MSC certification and those who have objections to an individual certification.

MSC Fisheries Standard Director Rohan Currey said introduction of updates to MSC’s Fisheries Certification Process and General Certification Requirements came after an organizational review that began in late 2015.

“The Marine Stewardship Council is a listening organisation and this review began in response to feedback from partners and stakeholders on the complexity of the assessment process and the resources required to engage with it,” Currey said. “To address this feedback, we aimed to reduce complexity and increase effectiveness of stakeholder engagement whilst maintaining the credibility and robustness of the whole process.”

Most prominent among the changes is MSC’s new requirement that by 31 August, 2019, all fisheries in the MSC program must complete and submit a Certificate Holder Forced and Child Labour Policies, Practices, and Measures, detailing the measures they have in place to mitigate the presence of forced or child labor. If the deadline is not met, the fishery will no longer be eligible for certification and any existing fishery certificates it has from the MSC will be suspended.  Fishing and supply chain companies and their subcontractors that have been successfully prosecuted for forced labor violations will not be eligible to participate in the MSC program for two years after their conviction.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Can dogfish save Cape Cod fisheries?

August 21, 2018 –Low clouds hang over the pier as fishing boats line up to drop off their catch for the day. Fishermen in orange suspendered waders and rugged boots perch on the edges of their boats. The fishermen, with weathered faces and hands toughened by their work, ignore the tourists gawking and snapping photos from a viewing platform overhead.

Then, the fog descends, giving the scene a sense of timelessness. But this scene has changed from decades past. For 400 years, fishermen across Cape Cod caught boatloads of, well, cod. The fish was so plentiful and valuable that fishermen bought houses and new boats off cod profits alone. But today, there’s a different fish filling the piers: spiny dogfish.

Cape Cod has nearly lost its namesake fish, due to overfishing and climate change. So fishermen have switched to dogfish, skates, and other more plentiful options. This move could help revive the Massachusetts fishing industry, and might even help the cod rebound, researchers say. But getting Americans to bite may not be as easy.

“This is the fish we could feed the United States with,” says Chatham fisherman Doug Feeney. “We have people that are hungry. We have prison systems. We have vets. We have homeless people. There’s just so much that can be done with this product.”

For a long time, fishermen saw dogfish as an annoyance. They were a “trash fish” with little value that often ended up clogging their nets. The large spines on their fins especially made them a pain to throw back, and they eat pretty much everything smaller than them – including juvenile codfish.

Read the full story at The Christian-Science Monitor