Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
May
2004 Update
By
Karen Tarica
(206) 369-0855
mailto:LN89@aol.com
With
high protein diets, awareness of the health benefits
of Omega-3 oils found in some fish and a general move
toward healthier eating converging, more people are
heading to the seafood case at their local market and
ordering up fish at their favorite restaurant. Seafood
consumption is on the rise good for our health but what
about the health of our ocean?
The
increasing demand is raising questions about whether
fisheries can replenish themselves fast enough to keep
up. Reports from the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy both call for management
changes to protect the future of our ocean and marine
resources but until changes are implemented, consumers
and businesses must step in and do their part. Today,
buying seafood requires more than a discerning palate.
In
California, environment-conscious consumers look for
the organic seal when shopping for food but since organics
are not applied to seafood, how does one find environmentally
sensitive choices at the fish counter? Various programs
are working to inform consumers about seafood issues
but shoppers want good choices to be easy. Perhaps one
of the most visible and popular programs is Monterey
Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program which offers wallet
cards to guide consumers toward sustainable seafood
choices using a red, yellow and green chart indicating
good choices, those to be purchased with caution and
those of concern.
“The
wallet cards are a great starting point and introduction
to the issue said Jim Humphreys, Director of the Marine
Stewardship Council's Americas Region. “But for
consumers and businesses who desire greater assurance
that a fishery has been examined by independent scientists
to determine if they're really from responsibly managed
sources, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) seafood
certification program is the answer. Further, it is
the only seafood advice program which provides a traceability
system. The program is based on science and the eco-label
on packaging and in the fresh fish case provides a quick
and easy way for consumers to identify seafood from
responsibly managed sources without having to remember
to bring along a guide.
In
fact, research from the Seafood Choices Alliance, The
Marketplace for Sustainable Seafood: Growing Appetites
and Shrinking Seas, found consumers prefer labels as
a way to obtain information about seafood. Sixty-seven
percent of those surveyed indicated they want more information
about the environmental impacts associated with seafood
and 71% said seeing an environmentally responsible”label
would make them more inclined to purchase a particular
seafood item. The MSC eco-label provides consumers with
the seafood information they hunger for.
The
international, non-profit MSC is a first of its kind
seafood certification and eco-labeling program. Founded
as a business-environmental partnership of the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Unilever in 1997, the now-independent
MSC uses consumer purchasing power as a conservation
tool which helps ensure our favorite seafoods will be
around for generations to come. Wild-harvest fisheries
come forward voluntarily to be assessed against the
MSC's strict environmental standard by an independent
team of scientists. The Standard was created after extensive
consultation with leaders from the fishing industry,
academics, government and the conservation community.
It is based on the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization's (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries and examines the status of the stock, effect
of fishing on the marine ecosystem and the effectiveness
of the management system. The process is thorough and
can take several months to a couple of years to complete
depending on the complexity of the fishery. Those meeting
the standard are certified and, once traceability is
established, their products can carry the distinctive
blue and white MSC “seal of approval” indicating
the fishery has met stringent environmental criteria.
Consumer preference for certified and eco-labeled seafood
rewards responsible fishing and serves as incentive
for other fisheries to move toward sustainable management.
Today,
ten fisheries have earned certification, 14 are currently
in the final stages of evaluation and more than two
dozen are at other points in the process. Alaska salmon
was the first American fishery to become certified and
remains the only salmon fishery in the world able to
use the eco-label. Natural and organic leader, Whole
Foods Market, became the first retailer in the US to
commit to selling MSC certified fish like Alaska salmon
and now promotes the product during its annual, month-long
“Fish for our Future”campaign designed to
highlight Alaska salmon as a well-managed seafood choice
and educate customers about how their seafood choices
can reward those who value careful stewardship of marine
resources. This year, Whole Foods Market is expanding
its certified product line to include private label
products including a fish stick made from certified
sustainable New Zealand hoki.
“Until
the MSC came along, there was no third party seafood
certification program to deem fisheries sustainable
and the world fishing situation was out of control because
too many fish were being harvested too quickly,”
said Dick Jones, seafood coordinator for Whole Foods
Market. “By identifying seafood from responsible
fisheries, our customers can bring home fish they feel
confident feeding to their families.
Similarly,
Colorado-based Xanterra Parks & Resorts became the
first food service operation in the US to sign on with
the MSC program not only promoting the fact that its
wild salmon is from an MSC-certified fishery but also
securing a traceability certificate documenting the
fish back to Alaska proving it has not been mixed with
uncertified seafood. The eco-label is placed next to
wild Alaska salmon selections on menus at Xanterra's
restaurants in National Parks including California's
Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort at Death Valley
National Park to assure guests that their seafood choice
is a sustainable one.
“National
park visitors value conservation and want to know that
their choices aren't hurting the environment they care
about,”said Tim Stein, Corporate Food & Beverage
Director for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. “The
MSC eco-label is an easy way to convey the sustainability
of seafood offerings. It's simple for visitors to understand
and allows them to feel good about the seafood they
enjoy without necessarily understanding all of the complex
issues facing fisheries today.
Californians
may soon see the eco-label on the seafood which most
recently was awarded certification. In April, the Mexican
Baja California Red Rock (spiny) lobster fishery became
the first Latin American fishery and first developing
world fishery to earn the right to use the eco-label
on its products. The spiny lobster is a clawless lobster
with a spine covered shell which is caught using fish
or lobster traps. Restaurants and retailers who like
the lobster's sweet, firm taste now have another reason
to purchase spiny lobster from Baja California.
“We
are excited to see new products like Baja California
spiny lobster becoming MSC certified so that we can
increase our selections of eco-friendly seafood,”
said Andrew Ryland Spurgin, Executive Director/Chef
of Waters Fine Catering in San Diego and co-founder
of Passionfish, a non-profit promoting seafood sustainability.
In California, we've worked with the MSC and Whole Foods
Market for three years to promote certified and labeled
fish and will continue to help get the word out to consumers
about seafood choices they can feel good about.
The
California Salmon Council hopes fish from its troll-caught
king salmon fishery will soon join the list of those
bearing the MSC eco-label. The council is seeking certification
for its fishery which produced 6.4 million pounds of
king salmon last year up 28% from the year before as
a way to promote its environmental commitment and expand
markets.
“We
believe certification will allow us to expand our domestic
and international markets to include those who are today
asking for products certified as sustainable and well-managed
under the MSC program,” said David Goldenberg,
Chief Executive Officer of the California Salmon Council.
“The project should have an economic payoff as
fishermen, receivers and suppliers all have a role in
assuring the consuming public that California salmon
are managed and harvested in a sustainable and responsible
manner.
The
California king salmon fishery along with Alaska halibut,
pollock and sablefish and British Columbia salmon and
halibut are all currently being evaluated against the
MSC's environmental standard. Additionally, the American
Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) recently became
the first tuna fishery to publicly announce it is seeking
certification. Today, there are more than 200 products
in 17 countries carrying the MSC eco-label –a
30% increase from last year. Among them, the first food
supplement to carry the MSC logo –an Alaska salmon
fish oil supplement created by Vital Choice Seafoods.
“Look
at the success of the organics movement which has gained
enormous momentum and has seen a sustained 21% growth
of product sales from 1997 to date within a $9 billion
natural food market,” said Spurgin. “Sustainable
seafood tools like the MSC program will allow us to
do for our ocean what organics have done for the land
we are empowered to economically reward responsible
use of our resources thus increasing the chances we'll
be able to enjoy the bounty of the sea well into the
future.
For
more information: http://www.msc.org
or
contact the MSC's Seattle office at (206) 691-0188.
For more information visit:
Xanterra Parks & Resorts
http://www.xanterra.com
Whole
Foods Market
http://www.wholefoods.com
Passionfish
http://www.passionfish.org
