Aug. 5, 2008 (Seattle, WA)—The Eastern Canada offshore sea scallop fishery has begun its full assessment for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.

Extending from Georges Bank to the Eastern Scotian Shelf and St. Pierre, the wild-capture fishery utilizes New Bedford scallop rake fishing gear.  Established in 1945, the fishery has averaged a catch of 6,645 metric tons annually over the past six years.  By value, sea scallop is the third-ranked seafood species in Nova Scotia and had a worldwide export market in 2005/06 worth CAD$121,510,883.

In the assessment process, the status of the sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) stock will be carefully evaluated, along with the impacts that the fishery has on the marine environment, and the effectiveness of the fishery management system.  If granted MSC certification, sea scallop products from this fishery will be eligible to display the MSC eco-label.

Brad Ack, regional director for MSC Americas, said, “At the same time that Canadian retailers are increasing their commitment to certified-sustainable seafood, Canadian fisheries are showing the same enthusiasm for MSC certification.  We are pleased that the Eastern Canadian offshore sea scallops fishery has chosen to measure its sustainability against the MSC standard by pursuing MSC certification, a system that assures consumers of a fishery’s sustainability.”

The clients for this assessment are Adams and Knickle Limited, Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership, Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited, LaHave Seafoods Limited and Ocean Choice International L.P.

The assessment process, estimated to take 12 to 14 months, is being conducted by independent certifier Moody Marine Ltd.  External stakeholders will be included in the process to ensure that all relevant knowledge about the fishery is taken into account.

About Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

The MSC is an international non-profit organization that was set up in 1997 to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC runs the only widely recognized environmental certification and eco-labeling program for wild capture fisheries. It is the only seafood eco-label that is consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and UN FAO guidelines for fisheries certification. The FAO “Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries” require that credible fishery certification and eco-labeling schemes include:

• Objective, third-party fishery assessment utilizing scientific evidence;
  
• Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures;
• Standards based on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices. 
  

The MSC has offices in London, Seattle, Tokyo, Sydney, The Hague, Edinburgh and Berlin.  In total, more than 120 fisheries are engaged in the MSC program with 31 certified, 73 under assessment and another 20 to 30 in confidential pre-assessment.  Together the fisheries record annual catches of more than 5 million tons of seafood.  Of fish for human consumption, they represent more than 42 percent of the world’s wild salmon catch, 40 percent of the world’s prime whitefish catch and 18 percent of the world’s lobster catch.  Worldwide, more than 1,600 seafood products resulting from the certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label.  For more information, please visit www.msc.org

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Media contact

Lisa M. Bailey
Communications Manager—Americas
Marine Stewardship Council
(Seattle, WA)

Email: lisa.bailey@msc.org

Phone: +1-206-691-0188, ext. 104