It is reported that hake trawl fishery could be the first sustainable fishery on Canada’s Pacific coast. MSC certificate is an important economic tool because it assures the marketplace that B.C. hake is sustainably caught. Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance, representing the commercial seafood industry on Canada’s Pacific coast, admit that it is an exciting moment for them as it shows they are making progress.
Burridge told that MSC certificate will allow the hake industry a continued access to foreign markets such as the European Union as well as local markets. It is informed that the certification process took about two years, and involved a detailed assessment of management of the hake fishery, the status of stocks, and health of the marine ecosystem.
Burridge also told that Pacific hake will be certified next week if there would be no objection filed. It is opined that B.C. halibut could be certified by mid-July, with the potential for sockeye, pink and chum salmon to be concluded later in 2009, as well as sablefish (Alaska black cod). As per Burridge Canada has been playing catch-up with its Alaskan competition, which achieved MSC certification for salmon in 2000.
Barry Ackerman, a hake specialist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, noted that hake generates the largest commercial harvest of a single stock on the B.C. coast, with a landed value of $28 million last year. The stock ranges between B.C. and California and is jointly managed by Canada and the U.S.
