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Environmental Groups’ Bid to Revoke Alaska Salmon Fishery’s MSC Certification Rejected

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Thursday, October 31, 2024, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Evidence in the complaint led OceanWise to withdraw its “sustainable” recommendation for southeast Alaska salmon earlier this year.

Conservation groups in British Columbia have lost a bid to revoke the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability certification for a controversial Alaskan salmon fishery. The complaint, filed in April 2024 by Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Watershed Watch, and SkeenaWild, alleged that commercial salmon fishing in southeast Alaska’s District 104 interferes with migration patterns essential to the survival of endangered southern resident killer whales and salmon populations in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

The complaint argued that the fishery fails to meet the MSC’s own certification standards, highlighting incomplete data under the Pacific Salmon Treaty and alleged misrepresentations of certain fish stocks. A primary claim was that Alaska's commercial purse seine fishers mishandle bycatch, resulting in the discard and death of non-target species.

The case was heard by independent adjudicator Melanie Carter in Seattle on September 17-18, following evidence from the conservation groups, which was deemed credible enough to proceed and to prompt Canadian organization OceanWise to retract its eco-label for the Alaskan fishery in July 2024. Carter ultimately dismissed the complaint in a decision issued on October 30, 2024.

In her ruling, Carter noted the lack of complete data on the interception of specific salmon stocks by both Canadian and U.S. fisheries. She stated that because both nations are signatories to the Pacific Salmon Treaty, their fisheries must adhere to agreed-upon management, harvest, and interception levels to maintain sustainability.

Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game commissioner, previously argued that sustainability disputes should be managed within the framework of the treaty. “We remain confident that Alaska’s fisheries are sustainably managed,” he commented in April.

Kaitlin Yehle, a SkeenaWild fisheries biologist, expressed disappointment with the decision, citing concerns over the MSC’s standards and certification practices. According to Yehle, the MSC’s broad criteria often permit certifications for fisheries with sustainability issues, allowing certification to favor profit over scientific rigor. She pointed to MSC’s certification of the first Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery in 2020, which prompted the World Wildlife Fund to criticize MSC’s impartiality and scientific integrity.

“The fact that they profit from these certifications raises serious questions about the organization’s credibility,” Yehle stated. She also warned that consumers may be misled by the continued display of the MSC’s blue checkmark on southeast Alaskan salmon products, indicating sustainability where she believes it is unwarranted.

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