Will Lead to Greater Market Access and Benefits for Canada’s Atlantic and Arctic Fisheries
In early December, four Canadian industry associations, together with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), announced that products from the Canadian Greenland halibut (turbot) fishery in fishing areas 0AB2J3KLMNO can now bear the MSC label that identifies sustainable, well-managed fisheries from across the world.
“Obtaining this MSC certification is a testament to the cooperation and collaboration among the four associations and the producers and/or harvesters they represent or buy from,” said Kris Vascotto, executive director of the Atlantic Groundfish Council.
The MSC sustainability certification is effective immediately.
“We are united by a shared vision of a long-term, sustainable and prosperous fishery for all. The tangible benefit of this certification shows that when industry participants work together, everyone benefits. Such benefits underpin the Atlantic Groundfish Council’s efforts to increase collaboration across the fishing industry as a whole.”
Along with the Atlantic Groundfish Council, the three other organizations include the Nunavut Fisheries Association, the Northern Coalition Corporation and the Association of Seafood Producers.
The sustainability certification applies to Greenland halibut harvested by trawl or gillnet from areas extending from the Northeast coast of Nunavut, along the east coast of Labrador and Newfoundland, as far as south as the Grand Banks.
Combined, these fisheries account for about 21,500 metric tonnes of Greenland halibut quota harvested by Canadian enterprises, including Indigenous, inshore, mid-shore and offshore fishers.
MSC is the most globally recognized program for wild sustainable seafood and meets the highest international guidelines for credible certification and ecolabelling programs. The rigorous 18-month assessment scrutinized all aspects of the fishery to ensure they comply with internationally accepted sustainability principles for management, bycatch and habitat.
“This is exciting and positive news for the Canadian fishing industry. Canadian Greenland halibut finds a home in selective European and Asian markets where customers are increasingly conscious of the origins of the food on their plate. These customers demand that their seafood is sustainably and responsibly sourced,” explained Alastair O’Rielly, executive director of the Northern Coalition. “Securing MSC sustainability certification ensures accessibility and competitiveness in discerning global markets.”
“With more and more Canadian seafood becoming MSC certified, it not only signals to global markets that the Canadian fishing industry can meet their requirements, but also that we share their values in terms of sustainably harvested wild seafood,” added Brian Burke, executive director of the Nunavut Fisheries Association.
“As an 100 per cent Inuit-owned association, respect for sustainable use of our marine resources is paramount to our members. The commitment to ensure a sustainable fishery is shared by the four associations behind this effort.”
“As the client for the first MSC-certified fishery in Canada for Northern shrimp, shared now with other industry partners, we have here another example of strong collaboration. My hat’s off to my industry colleagues and their members for seeing the value in both sustainable fisheries and working together,” added Derek Butler, executive director of the Association of Seafood Producers.
Atlantic Groundfish Council and Association of Seafood Producers member Ocean Choice also said it is extremely pleased that Canadian Greenland halibut has received the MSC’s sustainably managed fishery certification.
“Ensuring we sustainably manage our ocean resources today and well into the future is a priority for Ocean Choice,” says Martin Sullivan, Ocean Choice CEO.
“We make every effort to reduce our impact on the marine environment and we take great pride in responsible fisheries management to help ensure the long-term health of our ocean resources for future generations of harvesters and processors.”
“Greenland halibut is an extremely important fishery for Ocean Choice and helps sustain meaningful employment both on our vessels and in our plants. The collaborative approach taken to the certification of this fishery by the Atlantic Groundfish Council, Northern Coalition, Association of Seafood Producers and Nunavut Fisheries Association is a testament as to what can be achieved when stakeholders cooperate for the good of the industry.”
“As a company, we have a deep commitment to sustainability,” says Blaine Sullivan, Ocean Choice President.
“Our 1,700 employees work every day to sustainably harvest, process and market Newfoundland and Labrador’s locally caught seafood for distribution to markets worldwide. The MSC certification of Canadian Greenland halibut is great news for the Canadian fishing industry and all its stakeholders. It opens new market opportunities — markets that are demanding sustainably harvested seafood.”
The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organization. The organization’s vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Its ecolabel and certification program recognize and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.
The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that:
- It comes from a wild-catch fishery that has been independently certified to the MSC science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.
- It’s fully traceable to a sustainable source.
More than 360 fisheries in over 36 countries are certified to the MSC Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of over 11 million metric tonnes, representing almost 15 per cent of global marine catch. More than 38,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC label.
The Nunavut Fisheries Association is a not-for-profit corporation established to present a united voice for Nunavut’s commercial fishing industry to regulatory agencies at the territorial and federal levels. Its current membership consists of four Inuit-owned companies which hold 100 per cent of the commercial allocations of Greenland halibut (turbot) and shrimp managed through the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB). These companies, the Arctic Fishery Alliance (AFA), Baffin Fisheries (BF), Pangnirtung Fisheries/Cumberland Sound Fisheries Partnership (PFL/CSFL) and Qikiqtaaluk Corporation (QC), are owned by the HTOs, communities and/or Inuit of the Qikiqtani region.
The Atlantic Groundfish Council is a non-profit industry association representing the year-round groundfish harvesters in Atlantic Canada. AGC contributes to research that will improve the sustainability and management of groundfish fisheries by actively supporting science, sustainability certifications and responsible management.
The Northern Coalition Corporation is a federally incorporated, non-profit organization, consisting of six social enterprise corporations that are either indigenous birthright corporations, pursuant to respective Inuit land claim agreements in Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut, or community-based organizations owned predominantly by aboriginal residents in Labrador.
Northern Coalition members are deeply committed to ensuring that adjacent marine resources are responsibly and sustainably managed and that the sensitive Arctic marine ecosystem is appropriately protected.
The Association of Seafood Producers is a not-for-profit industry trade association representing seafood processors in Newfoundland and Labrador. ASP works for the betterment of the industry in the areas of public policy, sustainability and fisheries management.
