Producers of wild Alaskan seafood understand how important it is for our fisheries to be managed on a sustainable basis. Methods employed to meet this need include use of enforceable catch limits, improving catch efficiency, limiting fishing efforts and implementation of quota share programs.
Since many fisheries in the world do not strive to meet similar goals, Alaska is keen to alert consumers about the sustained yield practices used in the state. One way to achieve this goal is to use an independent, third party to certify seafood in Alaska is being harvested on a sustainable basis. Several Alaska fisheries, like those directed at the five species of Pacific salmon are certified as sustainable by a group known as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and bear an ecolabel that can easily be recognized by seafood consumers.
World Wildlife Fund Seafood Ecolabel Program Study
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commissioned Accenture Development Partnerships to make an independent assessment of seafood sustainability certification programs. The study, Assessment Study of On-Pack, Wild-Capture Seafood Sustainability Certification Programmes and Seafood Ecolabels. Accenture, was recently released and looked at seven certification programs that use ecolabels targeted at seafood consumers.
Using criteria established by the World Wildlife Fund, Accenture assessed the fisheries management claims made by these ecolabeling schemes. Criteria addressed in the study included consideration of climate change, evaluation of supply chain facilities, impacts made to fish and ecosystems, social and ethical practices, and humane treatment of animals.
The executive summary of the report states, “None of the standards analysed are in complete compliance with the criteria identified and defined by WWF as necessary for credible ecolabels or certification programs. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the only ecolabel that is close enough to be considered compliant with these criteria.” Read More »
