Major Alaska salmon producers have decided not to continue with the Marine Stewardship Council certification program for Alaska salmon. It appears that the primary issue between the Alaska processors and the Marine Stewardship council has been the cost to processors to remain in the certification program. MSC has been rapidly changing its funding sources to rely on program and licensing fees, rather than contributions from charitable foundations. In the most recent annual reports, total program funding has risen to more than 50% of the overall budget. This is  pressuring those who must now pay these fees to reconsider their participation in the MSC certification program. While particpation in the MSC program has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years the withdrawal of the Alaska salmon producers will no doubt dampen the enthusiasm of others. More here http://www.thecordovatimes.com//article/1203marine_stewardship_council_losing_ground_with

TAGS: sustainable, fisheries, MSC, ecocertification, Alaska salmon

The first round of a two-year, $28.5-million licence retirement programme has been launched by the Government of Canada. The programme aims to enhance the economic viability of the commercial chinook troll fishery off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. This licence retirement program will help commercial fishermen and coastal communities manage the recent reduction in the total allowable harvest of chinook off the West Coast of Vancouver Island under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Funding for the mitigation program was provided to Canada by the US under the treaty. More here

TAGS: sustainable, fisheries, BC salmon, licence retirement, chinook, troll fishery, Pacific Salmon Treaty

Access to information requests have turned up a “secret” Environment Canada report (i.e., one the Harper government didn’t want published last spring) that warns how oil sands development will harm downstream communities and wildlife, suck up and pollute four or five barrels of fresh water for every barrel of oil it produces, and generate GHG gas emissions every year equivalent to all the cars and SUVs on Canadian roads. See  report in the Ottawa Citizen by Mike de Souza here  Harper government continues to defend the oil sands development and ignores the alarming findings by Enivoronment Canada

TAGS: Sustainable, environment, habitat, oil sands, negative impact, fisheries,Environment Canada Secret Report

EU fisheries ministers are often accused of disregarding science when setting fishing quotas. New research shows just how much political decisions exceed scientific advice. CFP Reform Watch, based on a study of TACs from 1987 to 2011, reports that  TACs were set higher than scientific recommendations in 68 per cent of decisions. On average, ministers adjusted TACs to be 33 per cent higher than recommended by fisheries scientists. The researchers argue that the Commission’s proposed discards ban and introduction of transferable fishing concessions (TFCs) in the so-called Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy will not succeed in achieving sustainability “unless the process for catch allocation is reformed to place science at the heart of decision-making”. More here  This practice continues as described in the previous article.

TAGS: Sustainable, fisheries, EU, quotas too high, overfishing, CFP Reform Watch