(Juneau) – Alaska’s salmon fishery is on track to being recertified as sustainable under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards for sustainably-managed fisheries, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced today. The State of Alaska has offered its assistance to the MSC in an effort to streamline the process for fisheries seeking recertification.

After reviewing a preliminary version of a report prepared by an independent certifier, ADF&G’s Commercial Fisheries Director Denby Lloyd expressed optimism about recertification. “We are continuing to work with MSC and our contractor on recertifying the Alaska salmon fishery,” Lloyd explained. “With a subsequent extension of the current certification until completion of the re-assessment, Alaska should be able to complete what has proved to be a tremendously challenging and detailed process. We are hopeful that by continuing to work with the MSC and the certifier that we can not only achieve recertification of Alaska’s salmon fishery but also help improve the process for all the fisheries to follow.”

Alaska’s salmon fishery was one of the first major commercial fisheries to go through the MSC’s program, and to be certified as meeting the MSC criteria for sustainably-managed fisheries. Alaska’s widely recognized sustainable salmon fishery was selected by the fledgling MSC eight years ago for testing the organization’s newly developed principles and criteria for sustainable fisheries. After a final assessment and certification process, Alaska’s salmon fishery was certified as meeting the MSC’s standard in September, 2000.

The certification was granted initially for a five-year period that has since been extended to accommodate a recertification process. Alaska entered the recertification process in February 2005, one of the first major commercial fisheries to do so. Alaska is offering its assistance to MSC to streamline the recertification process, so that the organization can continue to improve its procedures to the benefit of future fisheries. Other Alaska fisheries that have been certified include the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Pollock Fisheries, Pacific Halibut, Black Cod, and a freezer longline fishery for Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea.

Contacts: Denby Lloyd, Director of Commercial Fisheries (907) 465-6100 David McClellan, ASMI Regional Representative, dmcclellan@alaskaseafood.org