Full assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable fisheries has been initiated by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) for the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GoA) Pacific cod fisheries. The assessment will include four gear types (longline, trawl, pot and jig) – in both the BSAI and GoA management areas. Currently, only a portion of the freezer longline fleet in the Bering Sea is certified to the MSC standard. If successful, this certification would dramatically increase the quantity of Pacific cod eligible to carry the MSC’s sought-after blue eco-label.
AFDF represents a diverse group of stakeholders, both harvesters and processors, and has contracted the independent certifier Moody Marine International to assess the BSAI and GoA Pacific cod fisheries against the MSC standard. “We think the Pacific cod fisheries in Alaska, under the excellent management of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are great candidates for certification under the MSC standard,” said Jim Browning, Deputy Director of AFDF. “There is increasing demand for independently certified sustainable seafood products in the global marketplace and the MSC’s independent assessment process and traceability program will provide consumers with the assurances they are looking for.”
Brad Ack, the MSC’s Director of the Americas, says: “I am delighted to see these fisheries entering the full assessment process. Cod is a popular and important fish – particularly in European markets and with European consumers. I believe AFDF’s decision to bring in the BSAI and GoA Pacific cod fisheries as candidates for MSC certification is a good step for the fisheries and for consumers .”
