FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alaska Salmon Producers Decide to Rejoin MSC
10 April 2015 (Seattle, WA) — Several Alaska salmon producers announced today that they have decided to rejoin Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) through the client group that holds the MSC certificate for wild Alaska salmon, Alaska Salmon Processors Association, Inc. This is in addition to their ongoing commitment to, and participation in, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-based Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification program.
This expansion would provide multiple certification choices in the global marketplace for virtually 100% of the gold-standard of sustainable seafood: wild Alaska salmon.
"This decision is based on the recognition that both the salmon market and sustainability landscape have changed in recent years," said Stefanie Moreland, Director of Government Relations and Seafood Sustainability at Trident Seafoods. "Today, there is growing market acceptance for multiple sustainability certifications, underscored by the significant progress made in establishing a common global benchmarking tool for those certification programs."
Moreland added, "The successful launch of Alaska's RFM program in 2010 and its ongoing refinement was undoubtedly a major factor in this market shift, and we continue to pledge our full support for the RFM program and the Alaska brand."
Adopting both RFM and MSC certifications would eliminate arbitrary sustainability product differentiation in the market place for Alaska salmon and ensure that even more consumers around the world will be able to enjoy the world's most sustainable and high-quality seafood.
"We project historic runs of wild Alaska salmon this year, and it is important that as many global retailers as possible have access to our abundant supply," said Barry Collier, President and CEO of Peter Pan Seafoods. "We recognize different markets have different preferences for certification, which is why we look forward to offering choice."
As a testament to the long-standing sustainability success of Alaska's seafood industry, the 2015 run of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon is forecasted to be approximately 50% larger than the long-term mean, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
"In Alaska, we work hard to ensure that we maintain the most advanced and rigorous science-based approach to ensuring the sustainable management of our fisheries," said Jeff Regnart, State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game Director of Commercial Fisheries. "The decision of the Alaska salmon producers to expand their certification options reaffirms Alaska's commitment to keeping responsible fisheries management at its core, and to promoting choice and competition in the marketplace."
The group of Alaska salmon producers entering into the discussions includes Alaska General Seafoods, Icicle Seafoods, Kwikpak Fisheries, Leader Creek Fisheries, North Pacific Seafoods, Ocean Beauty, Peter Pan Seafoods, Triad Fisheries, Trident Seafoods, and Yukon Gold. The group has also requested that any other interested Alaska salmon producer also be given the opportunity to join under the same cost-sharing agreement as the new members.
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For more information, please contact Stefanie Moreland, Director of Government Relations and Seafood Sustainability at Trident Seafoods, at 206-297-4627.
12 comments:
Now that makes sense.
Lots
Great news. Will PWS be able to acquire the MSC certification as well? I thought that was one of the issues with the last renewal process.
Stephanie Moreland - Government Affairs Director for Trident for the last 6 years.....I wish I knew sooner.....
Great News!
The processors finally put up the white flag after recognizing that they couldn't sell salmon in Europe.
If they would have just admitted it, they could have saved the long-winded press release that speaks to everything but that fact.
The back and forth approach with MSC just highlights the incompetent nature of the salmon processors. Times have changed and the model for selling salmon needs to evolve. We have one of the largest stocks of wild, sustainable fish in the world, with a demand that exceeds any level of production. The real battle is how to properly promote wild salmon over farmed salmon. Basically, the processors are failing to market and promote salmon. This MSC acknowledgment is a step in the right direction, but the entire coalition of processing idiots, needs to wake and up realize the value of wild salmon. American diets are changing and wild salmon should be and the forefront of this new trend. Where is the McSalmon? Oh wait, that will probably be farmed salmon... Its time to focus on marketing wild salmon and giving fishermen the prices they deserve. Basically, you should hire me! Wake up! There is a whole world out there thats wants wild salmon. Stop treating salmon like a commodity to put on shelves and start treating it like something you would feed to your family.
Good news. You have to wonder if the Blunderunts and the processor stooges that follow them, or coalition of processing idiots as Mr Clark puts it, would have ever comeback to embrace MSC were it not for SBS shareholders voting a year ago to stay in the program.
Processors push wild salmon over farmed? Well, if you are a cannery who also owns salmon farms, that is not going to happen. You want to sell your farmed crap too.
And if you own a hatchery, you want to sell you ranched crap too.
For business marketing and pr MSC works, it's still a 3ed party that answers to FTC and consumers. Non profit corps credibility are only as good as their word.
Sounds like Silver Bay Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods have the only msc certified sockeye currently available. Now THAT is a value added commodity worth more to their fleets. Why let the Seattle Seven back in to compete with that. The McHumpy just doesn't have the market value as a truly savage' salmon does.
Start treating it like something you would feed your family...now there's an idea about 100 years after its time.
How about icing, bleeding and handle with care before dumping fish off at the processors?
That does not fall on the processors, that falls on salmon harvesters.
Show the world you love to feed them iced, bled and well handled salmon - 100 percent as an industry.
If you go to the store to buy beef, lamb, pork or chicken, you buy with the knowledge that it was handled properly.
Not so with "wild" salmon.
There is a reason why seafood is the least consumed purchased protein in America, and it isn't because of aquaculture.
Why the industry allows salmon to reach processors with no mandatory quality controls by its harvesters is mindboggling.
After wasting milions of Alaska general funds via inept ASMI mareketing presently being run by a incompetent clueless director the processors are running back to MSC and further destroying the Alaska Salmon reputation.
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