Seafood Report: A Mark of Distinction

“In the last month, both B.C. halibut and Pacific hake have been certified by MSC,” says Christina Burridge, executive director of the Vancouver-based British Columbia Seafood Alliance, an umbrella group representing various industry associations. “The MSC certifications for sockeye, pink and chu salmon, as well as for albacore tuna and sablefish, should wrap up in the next six months. It’s our goal to make sure that all B.C. fisheries can reach the MSC standard by 2015.”

On the East Coast, the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), a collective bargaining organization based in St. John’s, Nfld., achieved its first MSC certification (prawn) in August 2008. Other species, such as yellowtail flounder, are in assessment, says ASP executive director Derek Butler.

SeaChoice was formed in 2006 by five Canadian conservation organizations, including the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the David Suzuki Foundation. It provides science-based sustainability “score cards” (green, yellow and red) for fisheries, ranking them against criteria that differ in some cases from MSC. “We’re supportive of the MSC process,” says Bill Wareham, David Suzuki Foundation director of Marine Conservation, “but we know all fisheries won’t get certified and it takes a long time, although the process is being refined to make it faster. In the interim, there are a variety of approaches that can help inform consumers and retailers about sustainable options, including ours.” In June, the Overwaitea Food Group (OFG), which operates 117 stores in Western Canada, became the first retailer to partner with SeaChoice. Wareham says four others are “committed.”

MSC’s Coughlin recognizes that “The ranking programs do fill a gap, but they’re not the same as a certification program. There is no traceability in a ranking program.” And, she says that mislabelling and misrepresentation in the seafood industry is “rampant.” Wareham agrees that traceability is critical. “Suppliers, producers, processors and especially retailers, don’t want to be called out on that,” he says, noting that SeaChoice is working with OFG on the issue. Wareham also makes the point that unlike certification, ranking programs such as those offered by SeaChoice and Greenpeace are not voluntary. However, the fact that major Canadian grocery retailers have recently allied themselves with MSC suggests that certification is beginning to move swiftly from voluntary to standard practice.

Walmart Canada is one of those retailers. While it’s still developing its sustainable seafood policy, the company has a “current focus on offering more seafood certified to the MSC standard,” says spokesperson Susan Shuuta. Canada’s largest food distributor, Loblaw Companies Limited, announced alliance with MSC in May, making a commitment to source all seafood, wild and farmed, from certified sustainable sources by the end of 2013. Loblaw currently offers 12 MSC-certified products and is moving forward with actions such as assessing all seafood sources, working with processor partners to prepare for chain of custody audits, and identifying products not sourced sustainably for phase-out.