The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Sustainable Fisheries Fund (SFF) to move forward with Project Mid-Atlantic. Project Mid-Atlantic will focus on gathering data about the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region’s fisheries and plot a road map for the fisheries to enhance their sustainability performance. The goal of the project is to elevate awareness of the fish and seafood harvested in the Mid-Atlantic among national and global audiences by promoting and ensuring the sustainability of the region. Possible fisheries include Blue crab, Summer flounder, Eastern oyster, Striped bass, Tilefish, Bay scallop, Tuna, Hake and Scup.
The Project still requires support for the remainder of the first year budget, approximately $53,000. Coordinators will be reaching out to industry, retailers and other potential funders to secure the remaining funds. If you would like to be involved or learn more, please contact Marin Hawk at +1 (202) 603-8712.
Eric Critchlow, MSC U.S. Program Director, commented: “The Mid-Atlantic is of strategic importance in part because of the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America. Project Mid-Atlantic will further the progress and stability of the region from several different angles, including market access, identifying data gaps and promoting collaboration.”
Project Mid-Atlantic is spearheaded by the Marine Stewardship Council in close partnership with Council Fire, a global sustainability consulting firm. A steering committee of industry, academia, and other stakeholders will be appointed to guide and direct the project. Independent specialists will carry out a rigorous and comprehensive analysis of eight to ten fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic region, using the MSC Fisheries Standard as a benchmark. Actions plans will be developed to guide those fisheries towards the MSC standard, and there may be an opportunity for some fisheries to enter MSC full assessment. The project is based on a multi-species pre-assessment model developed by the MSC that has been successful in Europe, Japan and Australia.