SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — February 21, 2014 — The At-sea Processors Association (APA), the client for the Alaska pollock certifications by the Marine Stewardship Council, notified the industry today that they will be proceding with a 5 year recertification of Alaska pollock under the MSC program. At the same time, the APA reaffirmed its support for the Responsible Fisheries Management certification, under which pollock is also certified.
The Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands Alaska pollock fishery is currently certified through December 2015 and the GOA pollock fishery through September 2015.
APA has accepted a proposal from MRAG Americas to conduct the fisheries’ reassessments and will continue to extend the license to all Alaska pollock producers on a cost-sharing basis.
APA Executive Director Stephanie Madsen cited requests from customers as the primary reason for continuing with the certification. “The Alaska pollock fisheries first became certified in 2005, but they have been sustainably managed for over 35 years. Sustainability certifications are an independent validation of that fact,” she said.
She added that some Alaska pollock customers have developed marketing programs based on the MSC eco-label and asked that APA maintain the certification. McDonald's for example, last year made a committment to put MSC logo's on their fillet o' fish packaging in some markets. In other markets, McDonald's is advertising sustainable fish without reference to the MSC.
The tag line in the image above says "Dive right in to our popular Filet-O-Fish burgers made with quality Pollock and Hoki from sustainable fisheries. Now also available in creamy Nacho Cheese sauce, for a catch oozing with delicious flavor in every bite."
Madsen noted that both the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska fisheries are also certified under the Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management Program (RFM), which is based on the FAO’s international guidelines for sustainability and eco-labels. The Alaska pollock fisheries recently passed their second annual audit under the RFM program and nearly all Alaska pollock producers are certified for RFM chain of custody.
“The Alaska program is a robust, independent verification of the proper management and sustainability of the pollock fisheries in Alaska,” she said. “We support both programs to allow for customer choice.”
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.