India’s Ashtamudi clam fishery is the first in the country to earn Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The artisanal fishery has collaborated with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India and regional and local partners.
Fishermen for short-necked clams from Ashtamudi are now able to use the MSC’s blue eco-label. The fishery is the third in Asia to have achieved this so far, which could lead to new markets in the United States and Europe.
“The MSC program is designed to be accessible to all fisheries that are managed sustainably regardless of their scale, size, type or geographical region,” said David Agnew, MSC’s director of standards. “But it is also the world’s most rigorous, science-based standard for sustainable seafood.”
Vinod Malayilethu, senior coordinator of the Marine Conservation Program for WWF India, said that the WWF views MSC certification as an effective tool to achieve long-term sustainability in small-scale fisheries, while also protecting the marine environment. “The partnership between WWF, the fishers and the government shows visible commitment to good management of fisheries,” Malayilethu said.
As part of its preparations for MSC assessment, Ahstamudi clam harvesters formed the Village Clam Fishery Council to help develop management measures and officially represent the fishery at regional and state level. Ashtamudi’s clam fishery joins other MSC-engaged fisheries in the developing world, which represent 7 percent of fisheries in the program. The MSC is developing new tools and methodologies to increase the accessibility for fisheries that are data-deficient, such as the Risk-based Framework, which was used in the Ashtamudi fishery.
