Editor’s note: SeafoodSource Editor Steven Hedlund is attending the National Fisheries Institute’s 2012 Global Seafood Market Conference in Miami this week.
It’s been just over a week since Alaska’s salmon industry announced that it is not seeking sustainability re-certification under the Marine Stewardship Council program, and reaction to the news is still trickling in.
At the National Fisheries Institute’s 2012 Global Seafood Market Conference in Miami on Wednesday, Ray Riutta, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), said many retailers and restaurant operators who carry MSC-certified Alaska salmon are being patient and taking a “wait-and-see approach.”
Last March, Alaska’s salmon fishery was awarded Responsible Fisheries Management Certification; the independent, third-party assessment was conducted by Global Trust Certification Ltd. and is based on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
“This is a very strong program,” assured Riutta. “It should fit with any retailer’s or restaurant operator’s sustainable seafood policy as long as they’re willing to listen to us.”
Riutta told SeafoodSource after Thursday afternoon’s NFI-organized discussion on salmon that ASMI engaged numerous Alaska salmon buyers before the decision was made, and many supported the decision.
