 Radio Script 2001 __________________ Green Seafood
STORY: Some people might remember the controversy more than a decade ago over dolphins killed by tuna fishermen in the South Pacific Ocean. The flap ended only after the industry agreed to fishing methods that reduced dolphin deaths. As an incentive, companies that sold tuna caught with such methods could market the catch as dolphin safe. Such labeling was a hit among consumers, and launched an era of so-called "green" labeling. More recently, Alaska seafood has gotten in on the trend. In December, Alaska salmon became the first U.S. fishery certified as environmentally friendly by the Marine Stewardship Council, a nonprofit organization that uses green labeling as a way to improve fisheries management. Jim Humphreys is the U.S. director of the Marine Stewardship Council. HUMPHREYS: "The mechanism by which we do that is that we allow fisheries that are interested to be assessed against a standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries. For those fisheries that through an independent audit meet our standards, seafood companies that sell products from those fisheries can use a label to let consumers know those products have come from well-managed, sustainable fisheries." Alaska salmon had a fairly easy time getting the MSC's approval. The same may not be said of another Alaska fishery. The state's pollock industry is seeking council certification amid concerns about the industry's impact on endangered Steller sea lions. Although attempts to reach the industry for comment were unsuccessful, their published position is that the pollock fishery is well managed and has not been proven to cause declines in Steller sea lions and other marine species. Francine Bennis is coordinator of the Alaska Oceans Network, a consortium of environmental organizations based in Anchorage. She takes issue with such claims. She says industrial-scale harvests of pollock for fish sticks and imitation crab may well be taking a toll on Alaska's marine ecosystem. BENNIS: "We oppose the certification of the pollock fishery as sustainable. The fishery is unique perhaps in this certification process in that a federal judge has ruled that the fishery is in violation of the Endangered Species Act. We have serious questions about this fishery being considered sustainable in a single-species context, and we're concerned that it could be considered sustainable in an ecosystem context." Jim Humphreys, with the Marine Stewardship Council, won't speculate on the pollock industry's odds at winning certification. He says that a scientific review team will have a lot to consider in its decision. HUMPHREYS: "It's really going to depend on what the science shows on how severe the problem is or how much data is really missing once they really get into it." Although green labels are popular among consumers, Niaz Dorry says the MSC's decision on the pollock fishery will test whether the stewardship council is an effective voice for good fisheries management. Dorry is a Greenpeace fisheries campaigner who covers Alaska issues from the New England fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. DORRY: "From where I sit, giving the pollock industry the MSC label will prove the point that some folks, including us, have been making about the MSC, which is that it is a green-wash label. It's a label that means something other than what it represents. It makes the consumers feel good but it really might not do much for the oceans. Of course if it doesn't get it, then it gives us an opportunity to think more about the MSC and not have it lose credibility in our eyes." Besides Alaska salmon, the only other fisheries certified as sustainable are the Western Australian rock lobster fishery and England's Thames River blackwater herring fishery. A decision on the pollock fishery is expected within 18 months. OUTRO:This is Arctic Science Journeys Radio, a production of the Alaska Sea Grant Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I'm Doug Schneider. Audio version and related Web sites Thanks to the following individuals for help preparing this script:
Francine Bennis, Coordinator Niaz Dorry, Fisheries Campaigner
Jim Humphreys, U.S. Director Arctic Science Journeys is a radio service highlighting science, culture, and the environment of the circumpolar north. Produced by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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