The Atlantic menhaden fishery was officially given Marine Stewardship Council certification on 3 September, 2019.
Omega Protein, the largest harvester of Atlantic menhaden, started the approval process in 2017. Independent adjudicator SAI Global announced that following a formal review of the fishery, and then an objections process, the fishery has been certified for five years subject to ongoing surveillance audits.
"When we started this process in the Spring of 2017, we were confident that our Atlantic menhaden fishery could meet the high bar for MSC certification," Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein, said. "Now that our fishery is officially certified, consumers around the world will know the work our fishermen do every day to ensure our products come from a sustainable, responsibly harvested resource."
SAI Global initially recommended that the MSC certify the Atlantic menhaden fishery back in March, finding that the fishery surpassed the minimum scores on all three categories: sustainability of the stock, minimizing environmental impacts, and effective fisheries management. A fishery needs to average a minimum of 80 points in every category, and Atlantic menhaden achieved an 82.5 for sustainability, an 86 for environmental impact, and a 92.2 for fisheries management.
Multiple groups, including environmental advocates and recreational fishing organizations, had filed formal objections to the potential certification soon after SAI's recommendation. Those formal objections went through independent adjudication, which reviewed the various objections and determined the fishery met the MSC requirements.
Through the review of the objections, a few conditions were established for the fishery. Chief among those is a harvest strategy that considers the ecological importance of the Atlantic menhaden to other species in the region, through harvest control rules and assessments that address the species' role in the ecosystem.
“The Client Group must provide evidence of the implementation of a harvest strategy that is designed to take into consideration the ecological role of Atlantic menhaden and is responsive to the state of the stock with respect to its role in the U.S. Northwest Atlantic ecosystem,” the certification report states along with multiple milestones – including the development of a plan that takes the ecological role of menhaden into account.
Currently, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council is working on an assessment that does just that, according to Omega Protein.
Another condition requires that Omega Protein undertake a regular review of the methods used to ensure that endangered or threatened species are not affected by the fishery. While the company uses methods to minimize impact, the company currently does no regular review, according to the certification report.
Omega Protein, the ASMFC, and the state of Virginia have butted heads in the past about the menhaden fishery, particularly in the Chesapeake bay. The council put the state on notice in May 2018 after the state failed to implement a bill reducing the states harvest in the Chesapeake Bay to 51,000 metric tons.
That push was postponed indefinitely back in February, after the ASMFC found that the law didn’t support a non-compliance finding.
The achievement of certification makes the Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery the first menhaden fishery to gain full MSC certification. The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery was recently recommended for MSC certification, but is also undergoing independent adjudication for certification. According to a recent notice of acceptance of the objections, the objections will be heard during the week beginning 16 September.
Photo courtesy of Omega Protein
