Three conservation groups from British Columbia, Canada, have filed a notice of objection with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) over a recent announcement by the MSC to award its eco-label to controversial salmon fisheries on Canada’s Pacific coast.
The objection of the conservation groups is focused on the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery, which recently became the focus of a judicial inquiry by the Government of Canada, due to a worsening population collapse and widespread concerns over mismanagement.
“Scientists have shown that many salmon populations – particularly in the Fraser River – are not only at very low levels, but at risk of extinction,” said Dr Craig Orr, executive director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society. “Endangered salmon should not be considered a sustainable choice for consumers until the fisheries management system is improved, overfishing stops, and depressed stocks are allowed to recover.”
Some Fraser River 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 “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, whose team of scientists point to overfishing as a key threat. Last year, Fraser River sockeye salmon collapsed with only 13% of an expected 10.5 million fish returning to spawn – the lowest return of sockeye in the past 50 years.
Under the MSC’s third-party certification process, companies hired by fishing industry “clients” determine whether a fishery meets the MSC’s criteria for eco-certification.
“Our objection focuses on several areas where the third-party certifier has ignored crucial data and awarded passing grades to a fishery which should have failed,” said Dr Orr.
“We are determined to expose the failures of this MSC’s certification process in order to protect well-intentioned consumers from being misled,” said Greg Knox, executive director for SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.
No fishery has ever been denied certification after completing the MSC assessment process, and no objection to a certification has ever been upheld, the organisations say.
