Importance of MSC Certification

In a previous post recently, we touched upon the importance of MSC Certification to the commercial fishing industry. Well, here is another example of that. A fish processing plant in Port Simpson, just north of Prince Rupert, has gone through the process to be a 'certified' plant and this means fish products from Alaska that the plant processes can carry the much sought after MSC logo. Alaskan salmon fisheries are 'certified' sustainable....even though we know their southeast Alaskan fisheries intercept huge percentages of fish bound for the Nass and Skeena. So much for the sustainable marketing hype labelling...
Last week, BC Environment Minister Barry Penner announced a $100,000 asistance package for processing plants in BC to aid in getting certification."British Columbians are becoming leaders in the global drive for fisheries sustainability," said Penner.
"Credible eco-labelling is increasingly important for our industry to succeed in competitive markets, and it's an important part of our government's strategy to promote B.C. seafood." The MSC logo is becoming recognized as the premier in sustainable seafood standards throughout the world, and some of the world's largest consumers of British Columbia/Alaska seafood are looking for that stamp of approval. Major retailers in the United States, European Union and Japan are increasing demanding the MSC approval for imported seafood products. Quotes from article by Kris Schumacher , The Daily News Published: Tuesday, July 29, 2008