Sustainable Seafood
Seafood is an important part of most American's diets and for many people sustainability information has become a factor when choosing seafood products. Sustainable seafood harvests are managed in a such a way that landings do not deplete stocks beyond their ability to reproduce and rebuild population levels. Another key aspect of judging sustainable seafood is a consideration of any bycatch or environmental damage that is associated with harvesting the product.
Several laws in the USA and abroad have had profound impacts on seafood sustainability issues. The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 established a U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 3 and 200 miles offshore, and created eight regional fishery councils to manage the living marine resources within that area. The bill was amended on October 11, 1996 and re-named the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
The Act was passed principally to address heavy foreign fishing, promote the development of a domestic fleet and link the fishing community more directly to the management process. Each Council was directed to prepare fishery management plans for implementation by the Secretary of Commerce. The eight councils are administered by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service).
The 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, known as the Sustainable Fisheries Act, significantly changed the focus of fisheries management by adding provisions to address overfishing of currently depressed stocks, rebuild depleted stocks and minimize bycatch mortality. The amendment also reformed the approval process for fishery management plans, regulations processes, created protections of fish habitat, established user fees and sought to reduce conflicts of interest within regional councils.
Several organizations are heavily involved in seafood sustainability. Certification is conducted by several groups worldwide. At the forefront of worldwide sustainability issues is the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organization promoting solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC provides independent certification and eco-labeling for wild-capture fish. The MSC program is consistent with both UN FAO guidelines for fisheries certification and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. In January 2009 the number of seafood products around the world carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel reached 2,000 and continues to grow rapidly.Friend of the Sea is a registered non-profit non-governative organization (NGO) whose goals include conserving marine habitat and resources by means of market incentives and specific conservation projects. Friend of the Sea offers certification for products originating from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. It is the only scheme in the world which can certify, with the same seal of approval, products both farmed and wild-caught. Friend of the Sea has certified the largest volume of seafood worldwide, having assessed more than 10 million MT of wild-catch and 500 thousand MT of farmed products.
In the U.S., groups such as Wild American Shrimp, Inc. (WASI) promote sustainability among domestic fisheries. WASI raises public awareness sustainable American wild-caught shrimp from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas and South Carolina. The Wild American Shrimp Certification Program, administered by WASI, ensures that warm-water, wild caught shrimp from U.S. coastal waters meet a high standard of quality and consistency. Shrimp that meet standards are labeled with the Certified Wild American Shrimp mark. Participation in the certification program is available to harvesters, processors, distributors, retailers, grocers and restaurateurs.
FishWise is another seafood sustainability organization. The group seeks to educate consumers, retailers, distributors and other companies on sustainable fishery issues, with the goal of decreasing the unsustainable harvest of fish, while improving fisher livelihoods, fish populations and ocean ecosystems.
The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions includes Canadian and U.S. organizations aligned to assist companies in developing corporate policies on sustainable, wild-caught and farmed seafood. The "Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood" identifies six critical areas where companies can take action to ensure a sustainable seafood supply and protect ocean environments:
- Making a commitment to develop and implement a comprehensive, corporate policy on sustainable seafood;
- Collecting data to assess and monitor the environmental sustainability of their seafood products;
- Buying environmentally responsible seafood;
- Making information regarding their seafood products publicly available;
- Educating their consumers, suppliers, employees and other key stakeholders about environmentally responsible seafood; and
- Engaging in and supporting policy and management changes that lead to positive environmental outcomes in fisheries and aquaculture.
