Clearwater’s Risley calls out government

Along with religion and politics, the future of the fishery does not make for polite dinner conversation. Every dollar in this tight-margined industry is fought for.

Depending on whether you’re a plant ocalls out governmentwner, a plant worker or a fisherman, you are likely to have very different views on the industry and where the path lies to a healthy future.

John Risley, who along with Colin MacDonald founded the company that would become Clearwater Fine Foods Inc. in 1976, has survived and prospered in the fishery. Depending on which side of the wharf you’re from, you may share his opinions or strongly oppose them.

But none have said he minces his words:

What are the market demands that the fishery will have to satisfy in the years to come?

Risley: The trend now is very evident and it’s around sustainability issues.

Five years ago, people really didn’t know where their seafood was coming from or how it was fished. Now, virtually all our global customers want to know not just where it comes from but what management practices are in place around the product.

They want to know if those practices are appropriate and whether they want to be associated, not just with us but with those species and harvesting practices. They do not want to be associated with a fishery that is not sustainable.

Global organizations like the Marine Stewardship Council, who are independent, audit the status of fisheries and figure out whether they are interested in certifying the characteristics of that fishery as sustainable.

Click here to read the full interview from the Chronicle-Herald > 

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