Friend of the Sea this week stated that a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund and carried out by Dr. James Sullivan shows that Friend of the Sea’s criteria are 20 percent more effective than the Marine Stewardship Council’s in dealing with potential fisheries' impacts on ecosystem and habitat.
The report, “Smart Fishing Initiative — Comparison of Wild Capture Fisheries Certification Schemes,” was released earlier this month. Sullivan, a member of the ASI Accreditation Committee, MSC’s accreditation body, assessed the MSC, Friend of the Sea and other sustainable certification programs.
Friend of the Sea’s “ecosystem and habitat impacts” criteria scored highest at 0.93, while MSC scored 0.78.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from WWF itself,” said Dr. Paolo Bray, Friend of the Sea founder and director. “WWF closely partners with MSC, placing its panda logo on selected MSC-certified seafood products. Nevertheless, Dr. Sullivan had to recognize Friend of the Sea superiority when it comes down to protecting the ecosystem and habitat.”
