Wild Alaska salmon has a great flavour, which comes from the fishes’ natural diet of marine organisms. Wild Alaska salmon is full of vital vitamins and minerals and retains its health benefits whether eaten fresh, frozen or canned.

This fishery was one of the first to join the MSC program when it started its assessment in 1999. Since then it has been among the most influential fisheries in the program, allowing hundreds of MSC-labelled salmon products to reach consumers around the world. MSC-labelled smoked, canned, frozen and fresh salmon have been some of the most popular MSC-labelled products available.

The Alaska salmon fishery was recertified as sustainable under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)’s environmental standard in November 2007. The salmon fishery was originally certified in November 2000, when it was the first US fishery to achieve MSC certification.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Games, Alaska’s commercial salmon fishers caught more than 200 million salmon in 2006 – making it the fourth year in the last ten with a catch that high. Commercial fishing is among the largest employers in Alaska and a very important component of the overall state economy.   

“Alaskans take pride in the successful management of our salmon resources to produce long-term sustained-yield, and it is good to have these accomplishments affirmed by the Marine Stewardship Council. The MSC label helps Alaska’s salmon harvesters and processors tell people around the world that Alaska takes good care of our marine and freshwater environments, while providing millions of wild fish to health conscious consumers.” 

David Bedford
Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game 

From a commercial perspective, the fishery has benefited from widespread use of the MSC label on salmon products throughout North America, Europe and Asia. 75% of the fresh or frozen product is exported, with Japan purchasing about 80 %. The canned product is sold primarily within Europe and the US although more recently the fresh and smoked product has been more widely available in these markets. 

Alaska salmon is the most widely marketed fishery that is certified under the MSC programme; MSC-labelled salmon is available in 21 countries around the world (November 2007 figures).  

For further information, please visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.

The  fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. This assessment was for five species of salmon, divided into 16 units of certification based on regulatory area and gear type. The 16 units were scored separately. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified:

Sustainability strengths

Some of the points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below. 

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• The fisheries were grouped into 16 certification units based on species, regulatory area and gear type such that each unit of certification contained a number of species as well as a large number of fisheries per species. To pass any performance indicator all fisheries and all species in a certification unit had to comply with the performance indicator. The different stocks, fishing methods employed and areas of capture were well understood for each to pass the assessment.

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• Alaska salmon fisheries typically have low by-catch rates on non-salmonids such as marine mammals, birds, and marine fishes. These are regularly monitored by management and regulatory bodies (ADFG, NOAA etc).

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• Alaska’s fishery management system is among the most comprehensive and intensive of any fishery in the world. Management objectives are clearly defined and there is annual assessment or update of the status of stocks for each major target stock unit in the fishery.

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are: 

• Recovery of depleted stocks: Action Plans have been developed for each Stock of Concern but the Action Plans did not identify a time frame for recovery if actions are implemented. The CB set the condition that Action Plans should identify fishery specific objectives for recovery and provide an anticipated timeframe for meeting the objectives.

The fishery: Unit of certification

The certifed Alaska Salmon fishery is defined as:

Surveillance 4: Completed July 2005
Surveillance report no.4

Surveillance 3: Completed August 2004
Surveillance report no.3

Surveillance 2: Completed May 2003
Surveillance report no.2

Surveillance 1: Completed May 2002
Surveillance report no.1 

Initial assessment: Certified September 2000

Stage 7: Objections procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

No objections received

Public certification report - December 2000

Surveillance 4: Completed October 2011

Surveillance Report No. 4 - 4 October 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 12th April 2011

Surveillance 3: Completed January 2011

Surveillance Report No. 3 - 25th January 2011

MSC response to variation request: Annual audit - 6th December 2010

Request for variation: Annual audit - 6th December 2010

Surveillance 2: Completed October 2010

Surveillance Report No. 2 - 21st October 2010

Certificate sharing agreement - 26th July 2010

List of current client participation - 30th June 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance visit scheduled - 14th May 2010

Stakeholder Notification: New client and surveillance audit update - 7th April 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Delay in second annual audit - 5th November 2009

Surveillance 1: Completed April 2009

Surveillance Report No. 1 - 2nd April 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 28th April 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Nomination for surveillance team membership - 21st January 2008

Advisory: Moody Marine appointed as certification body - 9th January 2008

Reassessment: Recertified 5 November 2007

Certificates: Compliance with the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable fishing

Certificate of compliance MML-F-078 - Valid 30th October 2007 to 29th October 2012

Stage 7: Objection procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

No objections received

Public certification report - 9th November 2007

Fishery certificate - 5th November 2007

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination - 18th July 2007

Stakeholder Notification: Final report and determination - 18th July 2007

Stage 5: Public review of the draft assessment report

Public comment draft report - 11th April 2007

Stakeholder Notification: Public comment draft report released - 11th April 2007

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Stakeholder Notification: Revised peer reviewers proposed - 2nd January 2007 

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers proposed - 8th May 2006

Stage 3: Information gathering, stakeholder meetings and scoring

Advisory: Timeline extension - 15th December 2006

Advisory: Timeline extension - 26th May 2006

Advisory: Revised unit of certification - 18th April 2006

Advisory: Timeline extension - 19th October 2005

Stakeholder Notification: Site visits scheduled - 15th May 2005

Stage 2: Building the assessment tree

Final assessment tree - 8th May 2006

Draft assessment tree - 28th February 2005

Stakeholder Notification: Draft assessment tree released for comment - 28th February 2005

Stage 1: Fishery announcement and assessment team formation

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment - 28th February 2005

Stage 2: Building the Assessment Tree

Stakeholder Notification: Cancellation of re-assessment - 16 February 2012

Stakeholder notification: Site visit scheduled - 20 December 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Use of the default assessment tree - 9 December 2011

Stage 1: Fishery Announcement and Assessment Team Formation

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team confirmed - 07 December 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated - 18 November 2011

• Curriculum Vitae: James Brady - 18 November 2011

• Curriculum Vitae: Greg Ruggerone - 18 November 2011

• Curriculum Vitae: Jim Seeb - 18 November 2011

• Curriculum Vitae: Dr Rob Blyth-Skyrme - 18 November 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment - 18 November 2011

Assessment Timeline - 18 November 2011

431 W Seventh Avenue
Suite 106
Anchorage
Alaska
AK 99501

Client: James Browning - Executive Director
Phone: +1 907 276 7315
Email: jbrowning@afdf.org

Certification Body

Intertek Moody Marine Ltd

Canada

www.moodyint.com/

Contact: Dr Rob Blyth-Skyrme
Tel:  +1 902 422 4511
Email: rob@ichthysmarine.com

First certified as sustainable in September 2000 and recertified November 2007.

Summary

Species: 5 salmon species have been certified:sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), chum (Oncorhynchus keta), chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Location:  Within US territorial waters adjacent to the coast of the State of Alaska.
Fishing methods:  Nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine), trolling and fishwheels.
Number of fisheries: 1 fishery with 5 species divided into 16 units of certification.

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More about salmon

Salmon hatch in fresh water, spend part of their life in the ocean, and then migrate back to spawn in fresh water. All salmon die after spawning.

Chinook salmon is Alaska's state fish and is one of the most important sport and commercial fish native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is the largest of all Pacific salmon, with weights of individual fish commonly exceeding 30 pounds (13 kg).

Chum salmon are the most abundant commercially harvested salmon species in arctic, northwestern, and Interior Alaska.

Coho salmon usually weigh 8 to 12 pounds and are 24 to 30 inches long.

Pink salmon is the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America with an average weight of about 3.5 to 4 pounds and average length of 20-25 inches.

Sockeye salmon support one of the most important commercial fisheries on the Pacific coast of North America, are increasingly sought after in recreational fisheries, and is an important mainstay of many subsistence users.

More about the fishing methods

Salmon are harvested by nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine), trolling and fishwheels. Trolling is fishing by drawing a baited line or lure behind a boat. A fishwheel operates much as a water-powered mill wheel. The baskets on the wheel capture fish traveling upstream. The fish caught in the baskets fall into a holding tank.

Fishery tonnage

287,000 metric tonnes

Commercial market

Roughly one quarter of the harvest is sockeye salmon, followed by chum, coho and chinook salmon. In product value, sockeye salmon has always been the primary species. In recent years more than 80 percent has been sold whole or eviscerated. Seventy-five percent of the fresh or frozen product is exported, with Japan purchasing about 80 percent. The canned product is sold primarily within Europe and the United States although more recently fresh and smoked product has been more widely available in these markets.