The Ozernaya River sockeye salmon fishery in the Russian Far East has been certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.
The client group for the fishery includes Delta Company and Vityaz-Avto Company, and together the firms harvest about 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons annually, accounting for 23 percent to 44 percent of the total catch in the area from 2004 to 2011. Both companies have MSC chain-of-custody certification for their processing plants as well.
The salmon are harvested by fixed-trap nets and beach seines targeting sockeye salmon. Several other companies also harvest sockeye in the river basin.
Primary export markets for the salmon are Japan, China and Canada and it is also marketed domestically.
“Certification of the Ozernaya River sockeye salmon fishery is a milestone for the people of the Russian Federation who have fished and depended on this natural resource for generations,” said Kerry Coughlin, regional director for MSC-Americas and the Russian Far East. “There is tremendous demand in modern global markets for MSC-certified salmon by buyers committed to sourcing wild salmon only if it meets the rigorous MSC standard for sustainability and can be traced through the supply chain via the MSC chain-of-custody certification. Certification of their fishery will help protect this vital resource and the livelihoods of the people of the Ozernaya area. We congratulate the fishery and welcome them into the MSC program.”
