Salmon landing. (Photo Credit: Copper River Seafoods)

Copper River Seafoods to withdraw MSC support in 2014

Copper River Seafoods, one of the largest Alaskan-owned seafood processing companies in the state, is planning to withdraw its support for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in 2014.

The company has expressed its belief in sustainable certification but has some issues regarding the methods used by the MSC to provide its sustainability certificates.

Copper River Seafoods explains that it can not support a certification model that does not certify all fisheries in a state (Alaska) which has become a worldwide model for sustainable fisheries management.

The firm considers that a sustainability certificate helps raise consumer awareness regarding the origins of the fish commercially available as well as for the fisheries improvements made worldwide. However, the firm has made it clear that the MSC, which has counted Alaska’s fisheries among the first companies to be issued with their certificate, has since become unpopular due to the methods it uses for certification.

This has also caused problems for model fisheries in Alaska as it prevents market access for firms that choose to support state and federal fisheries management rather than paying to participate in an approved certification scheme.

According to Copper River Seafoods, the Alaska Salmon Fishery Public Comment Draft Report has caused significant changes at the firm. The report focuses on Alaska’s fisheries management practices, for instance it focuses on salmon escapement, long-term data collection and the knowledge and experience of the staff of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Unfortunately, Prince William Sound is unfortunately not covered by the report. 
 
The fisheries of Alaska are healthy because since 1959 it has been mandatory by the Alaskan Constitution that sustainability be compulsory, putting sound science and enforcement before commercial interests, the firm remarks.  

Copper River states that if the MSC is to provide certification for all the fisheries in Alaska, then it will re-evaluate whether such certificate is still a valid option for its products.
 

By Gabriela Raffaele
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Address:	1118 E 5th Ave
City:	Anchorage
State/ZIP:	Alaska (AK 99501)
Country:	United States
Phone:	+1 907 522 7806
Fax:	+1 907 222 0348
E-Mail:	[email protected]
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