Before Day 2 of the International Boston Seafood Show was even open, attendees, exhibitors and media packed a conference room to hear the annual update from the Marine Stewardship Council. CEO Rupert Howes and Kerry Coughlin, regional director-Americas, ran through some impressive numbers: 10 million metric tons of MSC-certified product is harvested annually, which amounts to 10 percent of all wild fisheries around the world.
Coughlin also addressed the elephant in the room: Even though the volume of MSC-certified product stands to decrease in coming years as major Alaska salmon processors switch to Responsible Fisheries Management certification, the London-based nonprofit remains steadfast in its support for Alaska, Coughlin said. “It’s no secret that there are some in Alaska who would like to replace MSC,” she added. “We’re a voluntary program. There is some misinformation out there about us, that we’re acting as fishery managers and that certification costs millions of dollars. These things are just simply not true.”
Sticking with Alaska, state Gov. Sean Parnell held a brief roundtable discussion with reporters at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, booth 439, in the afternoon. When asked about potential confusion concerning multiple eco-labels for Alaska salmon, Parnell said the best way to combat confusion is with quality. Sustainability, he added, is part of Alaska's DNA. “That’s who we are, that’s who we’ve been, that’s who we’ll be,” he said. “We’re committed [to sustainability] whether there's certification or not. I’m more concerned with quality, not the politics of policies.”
I’d like to issue a huge thank-you to the panelists of the SeaFood Business Summit, which I had the pleasure to moderate: Ignacio Kleiman, CEO of Glacier Securities; Larsen Mettler, group head, KeyBanc Capital Markets Seafood Group; Tim Antilla, senior VP, Wells Fargo Bank; and Ejnar Knudsen, managing partner, AGR Partners. All four gentlemen arrived fully prepared to discuss major macroeconomic trends like consolidation and financing for growth through credit or debt equity. The conference went off without a hitch and the audience was treated to an informative discussion.
Finally, I had a brief chat with the folks at Scottish Development International, booth 2253, as I hope to put together a trip there sometime soon to see the Scotland’s celebrated salmon farms and fisheries in person. Thanks to John Carlill, senior VP-food and drink, for his time and interest as SeaFood Business continues to expand its international coverage.
One more day to go. Make it a good one.
