"The MSC did not participate in the creation of the animation, nor does it endorse it."
WASHINGTON — September 18, 2013 — The following statement was released by the Marine Stewardship Council regarding the World Wildlife Fund's controversial "We Don't Farm Like This" animated video, which negatively depicts fishing practices and encourages consumers to choose MSC certified seafood.
The MSC understands the concerns about the animation recently released by WWF Canada and appreciates their swift action at the request of MSC to remove it from their media channels. The MSC did not participate in the creation of the animation, nor does it endorse it.
The message delivered in the animation is confusing, creates a negative message about some fishing gears and fails to indicate the positive commitment to sustainability made by many fisheries.
The MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing are internationally recognized as setting the highest standard for sustainability of wild capture fisheries. We welcome all types of fishery to apply for assessment against that standard.
We would point out that currently MSC certified fisheries use a variety of gears all of which have met the MSC's high standards for sustainable impacts on the environment, and we congratulate these fisheries on their environmental performance.
Participation in the MSC programme continues to grow year on year, receiving support from retailers, governments, non-governmental organizations, conservationists and the fishing industry.
The MSC fully supports and celebrates all the fisheries in its program and values their commitment to fishing our oceans sustainably.
The video has been removed from WWF's official channels, including Youtube, but can still be viewed on other unofficial platforms.
Watch the video on Vimeo here
Read Saving Seafood's story on the video here