Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Is MSC fish sustainable?

Is MSC labeled fish sustainable?

I think not. I will never buy MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) labeled fish as long as they certify fish caught in trawl.

Please read the following articles and judge by yourself.

Quote from Analysis MSC - The Costs of Certification
It is ironic that while small-scale fisheries, particularly those that employ selective, nontrawl fishing gear and practices in multi-species, tropical fisheries, hardly benefit from MSC certification, several industrial trawl fisheries in the temperate and polar waters have been certified to MSC as sustainable, thus challenging the common perception of trawling as a highimpact, destructive fishing technique, and small-scale fishing as low-impact and sustainable.
Quote from Richard Holland, the chief executive of WWF Netherlands:
The practice of bottom trawling can cause significant and irreversible harm to benthic ecosystems and species, raising questions about its environmental sustainability.
European Parliament published a briefing note: Long-term impact of different fishing methods on the ecosystem in the Kattegat and Ă–resund. The report concludes that due to the ban on towed fishing gear in place since 1932, the Ă–resund is now 100 times more productive for demersal fish stocks than the adjacent Kattegat, which has had no such regulations.