Saving Seafood

World Fisheries Day: A Message from Alexa Cole, Director of NOAA Fisheries Office Of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection

November 23, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

World Fisheries Day explores moves countries are taking together to find solutions to the increasingly inter-connected problems in our fisheries. Because fish and other marine wildlife cross national boundaries, the way countries manage their marine resources affects the status of fish stocks and protected and endangered species.

NOAA Fisheries’ international affairs work builds strategic fishing partnerships with foreign nations to promote sustainable and responsible management of fisheries and other relevant marine resources. Our efforts shone this year—from tackling the scourge of IUU fishing, to setting global standards to decrease marine mammal bycatch—all while representing America’s interests.

Tackling Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing

Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing practices damages nations’ economies, hurt fishermen who play by the rules. They threaten global food security, and rob us all of precious ocean resources. These activities can occur at various points through the international seafood supply chain. For that reason, our efforts to combat them must be multi-pronged.

​In 2018, we established the first-ever U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program. The program requires documentation from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce for 13 species of seafood particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing. This provides a way to trace seafood entering our domestic supply chain—deterring and combating illegal fishing activities. In 2020, we released a new accompaniment to the program—the SIMP-Compliant Importers List. The list recognizes U.S. importers with a demonstrated history of excellent audit compliance with the SIMP requirements. It reduces costs to both the government and industry while incentivizing importers to maintain the reporting and recordkeeping requirements of SIMP.

Globally, NOAA Fisheries is a leader in analyzing foreign fishing activities on the high seas. Every two years, we issue a Report to Congress that identifies nations whose vessels have been identified as engaging in IUU fishing. We then work with those nations to correct the identified problems. We will release our next report in 2021.

Read the full release here

University of Ottawa catches on to certified sustainable, traceable seafood standards

November 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

OTTAWA – The University of Ottawa is celebrating World Fisheries Day with the achievement of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, solidifying the University’s commitment to sourcing and serving wild seafood that meets the world’s most rigorous standards for sustainable fishing and traceability.

“Aquatic ecosystems around the world are under tremendous pressure from a combination of environmental change, habitat degradation, and over-harvesting. This commitment by the University of Ottawa will make a real difference in encouraging and supporting sustainable seafood harvesting,” says Nathan Young, interim director of the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

By choosing seafood with the blue MSC label, uOttawa diners can trust they’re making an ocean-friendly choice that directly rewards fishers, companies and institutions dedicated to preserving healthy oceans and sustainable seafood supplies for generations to come.

“MSC certification is an important marker of ecological sustainability, allowing consumers to know their seafood can be traced to a well-managed, sustainable fishery.  This is particularly important given the overall trend of fish stock decline,” says Melissa Marschke, associate professor of international development and global studies.

As an international non-profit organization established to address the problem of overfishing, the MSC runs the world’s most recognized certification program for sustainable seafood. The program recognizes fisheries that manage their fish stocks responsibly and ecologically, and then assures traceability from ocean to plate.

“World Wildlife Fund Canada applauds the University of Ottawa’s decision to address the problem of unsustainable fishing by purchasing Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood. Overfishing is a serious threat to the health of our oceans, as almost one-third of fish stocks globally are now considered overfished. Choosing MSC means supporting a healthy marine environment by only consuming fish from stocks that are well-managed and sustainably harvested,” says Bettina Saier, vice president of oceans, WWF-Canada.

The University of Ottawa is working towards one-hundred percent MSC-certified wild seafood for its state-of-the-art dining hall, which feeds 7,500 people a day and prepares 20 tonnes of seafood each year. The University ranks as the second most sustainable university in Canada according to the UI Green Metric Ranking.