Ocean Sentry
Last month the U.K.-based Marine Stewardship Council announced their intent to award their coveted eco-label to BC”s contentious Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery.
MSC is a global eco-label program which enables certified fisheries to brand themselves as a sustainable source of seafood. Sustainable seafood is generally defined as species with healthy populations, harvested from well-managed fisheries that don”t cause significant harm to ocean environments and other sea life.
Today, a coalition of BC conservationists filed a notice of objection with the MSC’s head office in London, focusing on the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery.
Some sockeye stocks harvested in the soon to be certified fishery are listed as “endangered” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature whose team of scientists point to overfishing as a key threat. Last year, the Fraser sockeye population collapsed when only 13% of the expected 10.5 million fish returned to spawn.
“If this certification goes ahead, European consumers who attempt to make ethical purchasing decisions by choosing MSC certified fish, could end up eating endangered Canadian salmon.”
“They are now poised to certify the Atlantic longline swordfish fishery as sustainable, despite concerns that it kills endangered turtles and sharks.” … Read Full Article
