SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by Michael Ramsingh – November 13, 2013 — A group of NGO's have blasted the MSC for failing to address their objection to the certification of Alaskan salmon in their announcement that the the Council has completed the re-certification process for the Alaskan fishery with the Purse Seine Vessel Owners Association acting as the client. (see: November 13, 2013 Seafood.com News story "MSC Alaska salmon woes continue as they can only certify 2/3rd of this year’s harvest")
Together, The Wild Fish Conservancy, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation objected to the MSC's certification of Alaskan salmon. This objection was dismissed by the MSC's independent adjudicator last week. But in their initial announcement yesterday, the MSC said there were no objections filed to their certifying Alaskan salmon.
Following is the complete statement from the group of NGOs:
In their "MSC Fisheries Update" of November 12, 2013, the Marine Stewardship Council stated that the Alaska salmon fishery has been re-certified after "No objections were received…".
The statement comes as a surprise to many seafood industry watchers who were aware that four conservation groups filed an objection to the controversial certification on Oct. 29, 2013. Wild Fish Conservancy of Seattle, WA, and Watershed Watch Salmon Society, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, and Raincoast Conservation Foundation of British Columbia, objected to MSC's failure to assess fishery impacts on endangered king (Chinook) salmon runs from BC and the continental US that are overfished as they migrate through Southeast Alaska. While the objection was dismissed by the “adjudicator” retained by MSC to evaluate the objection, the groups say that MSC appears to be whitewashing their process by claiming that "no objections were received".
The report that MSC has accepted from the certifying body acknowledges that over 96% of Chinook salmon caught in the southeast Alaskan fishery originate from rivers outside Alaska, many of which are severely depleted. The groups objected to the MSC’s decision of March 2013 to designate the non-Alaskan Chinook as ‘Inseparable or Practically Inseparable’ (or ‘IPI’) from the true Alaskan salmon. The Chinook (or ‘king’) salmon fishery is considered the most problematic, for its impacts on endangered runs. Salmon from these endangered populations are routinely sold in the market as “wild Alaska salmon”. Even though MSC did not inform stakeholders or the public of their March decision until releasing the draft report in July, the adjudicator dismissed the groups’ objection on November 5, 2013, saying that an evaluation of the IPI loophole was outside the “objection jurisdiction.”
The conservation advocates also say the MSC statement omits the fact that the Prince William Sound fishery was NOT re-certified, due to outstanding concerns over the massive ocean-ranching aquaculture operations in that region, which pose known risks to wild salmon populations.
The groups are asking the Marine Stewardship Council to immediately correct the misleading statement and issue an apology to any stakeholders and consumers who have been misled by the error and omission.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.