Alaska Salmon Industry to Drop MSC Certification

In January, 2012, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation announced that it had received letters from eight major primary salmon processors advising AFDF they are phasing out their financial support for the Marine Stewardship Council salmon certification program. Collectively the eight processors account for approximately 72% of the Alaska salmon harvest.

The processors will support the MSC program for Alaska salmon only through October of 2012, when the current certificate expires. The eight processors include Trident Seafoods, Icicle Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Peter Pan Seafoods, Alaska General Seafoods, E & E Foods, Kwikpak Fisheries, and North
Pacific Seafoods.

At the salmon industry’s request, AFDF took over the clientship for MSC certification of Alaska salmon in February, 2010. The move came following Alaska Department of Fish and Game's announcement in July of 2008 that they would no longer carry out the duties required of the client.

source: Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation