British Columbia sockeye salmon
Last Updated: 5th March 2010
Number of fisheries: 4
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Fishery species
Sockeye salmon (Onchorhyncus nerka)
MSC assessment status
Two objections have been received for the British Columbia sockeye salmon fisheries, and have been accepted by the Independent Adjudicator.
The certification body, TAVEL Certification Inc., will now reconsider its final report and determination over a period of up to 20 working days (i.e. by 5pm GMT, 29th March, 2010).
There is now a 15 working day period during which the Independent Adjudicator invites any other stakeholders that participated in the assessment process to submit written comments to BCsockeyeobjections@msc.org on matters raised by the objection notice by 5pm GMT, 22nd March, 2010. All submissions shall be posted on the MSC website, as per paragraph 4.5.6 of the MSC Objections Procedure (TAB D-023).
Please refer to the notifications in the assessment downloads section for further information.
Fishery location
British Columbia, Canada
Fishing method
Commercial catch is harvested by nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine) and trolling
Fishery management
The BC sockeye salmon fishery is exploited by commercial fishermen, aboriginal fishermen and sports fishermen. Entry controls were first introduced into the fishery in 1969, when licences were issued for vessels with a catch of over 10,000 lbs. The Federal Department of Fisheries and Ocean manages the fishery. Salmon management plans are based on scientific information provided through the Pacific Scientific Advice Review Committee (PSARC). Management plans are also developed in consultation with other stakeholder groups. Measures in the management plans include establishment of special management zones, selective fishing gear and methods, and catch monitoring programmes.
Commercial market
The main commercial markets are USA, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Assessment details
For the sake of this evaluation the fishery has been divided into components. These components will serve as units of certification. Marine fisheries units have been defined based on gear type, geographic location and target stocks. Freshwater fisheries have been defined based on major rivers with commercial fishing.
The assessment process is scheduled for completion in or around July 2009. Please see the download section for a detailed assessment timeline.
The MSC ecolabel can only be applied to product from certified fisheries. The MSC program does allow, in certain circumstances and within strict traceability requirements, the MSC ecolabel to be applied following certification to product caught before the actual date of certification. The target eligibility date therefore represents the date from which products may become eligible to carry the MSC ecolabel, however they cannot be sold until and if the fishery is certified. The actual eligibility date will be determined if the fishery is certified to the MSC standard.
To find out more about when fish from this fishery may be sold with the MSC ecolabel, please follow this link (http://www.msc.org/get-certified/supply-chain/eligibility-dates).
Uncertainties with regards to the duration of the assessment process for this fishery mean that a target eligibility date has not as yet been determined. The fishery intends at this stage to determine a target eligibility date that will allow the logo to be applied following certification to product caught from up to six months prior to the issuance of the Public Certification Draft Report. As the assessment timeline for this fishery becomes more certain, a more specific target eligibility date will be determined and published here. Stakeholders are asked to monitor this webpage for updates, or to contact the fishery client or certification body for further information."
