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Lobster Certification Has Pros and Cons
byLaurie Schreiber
Hathaway, president of the Richmond-based Shucks Maine Lobster, is a member of a commission to pursue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the Maine lobster industry. The commission was appointed earlier this year by Governor John Baldacci, and also includes George Lapointe, Commis- sioner of the Department of Marine Resources, and Linda Bean, owner of Port Clyde Lobster in Port Clyde. In a statement earlier this year, Baldacci said a growing number of major food retailers, including Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Target and Cosco, will only carry seafood that carries the sustainable certification by the MSC. “If we fail to take this step toward sustainability, Maine lobsters could be shut out of major markets in this country and particularly in Europe where the market is demanding sustainability for many products,” Baldacci said. Building on two pre-assessments that the industry completed a year ago, the working group will develop a plan, encourage voluntary participation from the lobster industry and seek funds from private businesses to cover the cost of the 8-month process of analysis and third-party endorsement of the lobster industry’s sustainable practices. Once completed, the industry can apply for certification through the MSC, which describes itself as an independent, global organization whose role is to recognize well-managed fisheries. The MSC, an international nonprofit organization, was created in 1997 to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing and its impacts on the world’s oceans. MSC developed standards for sustainable fishing practices and seafood traceability that must meet three core principles: fishing activity must be at a level which is sustainable for the fish population, environmental impacts must be minimized, and the fishery must meet local, national and international laws and must have a management system in place to respond to changing circumstances. The MSC program requires assessments to be carried out by independent, third-party certifiers. Fisheries voluntarily enter the assessment process and appoint a certifier to look at the unique circumstances of each fishery. When a fishery meets the MSC standards, its certificate is valid for five years. During this period, the fishery will be visited at least once a year to ensure it continues to meet standards. After five years, the fishery must be reassessed if it wants to remain in the program. Once a fishery has been certified, all companies in the supply chain – from boat to plate – must have MSC Chain of Custody certification. Certification allows sea- food within the chain of custody to carry the MSC's “ecolabel.” “It’s consumer-driven, because consumers want sustainable products,” said Hathaway. “So this will be a benefit.” The lobster industry, he said, will be butting up against requirements by large retail and restaurant chains. WalMart, for example, he explained, has vowed that by 2011, it will only purchase seafood certified by the MSC. The issue becomes even more important, he added, as more Maine lobster heads toward international markets. A pre-assessment by Moody Marine in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has come back looking good, he said, so the committee voted to go to a full assessment. The group raised around $150,000 in private money to move the process forward. He said the goal is to avoid asking taxpayers and the fishing industry for money to pay for the process. The committee hopes to do a market study in the next six months or so, to look into the benefits and downsides of certification, what it has meant for other fisheries, and what certification could possibly do for the price of lobster. In the next year or so, Hathaway said, the plan is to do an outreach program so people will understand what certification means. There will be a session on the program at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. The full assessment is expected to take 12-16 months. If anything damaging to the reputation of the brand comes out of the assessment, it won’t be made public, but that seems unlikely, he said. “Everything you do now is sustainable,” he told Zone B fishermen. Zone B chairman Jon Carter said people are concerned about the process. “Some people are sold on the idea, but I don’t know if everyone is,” he said. But Hathaway said it could be important for the industry to go with trends. “If we don’t go through the process, we won’t know,” he said. “My personal view is that it’s going to be great for the industry. Right now, we need to open as many markets as we can.” “We’re going to be the one who are asked to jump through the hoops,” said Jack Merrill, vice president of the Maine Lobster- men’s Association. “Where’s the benefit to us? That’s the bottom line.” He added: “I don’t think it’s the total answer to everything. But I think it could be one important piece of the puzzle.” The Maine Lobster Promotion Council also has a certification program, but MSC is simply better known, said Hathaway. “We think that MSC is by far the most recognizable in the world,” he said. “It worries me that WalMart in 2011 is not going to buy Maine lobster if it’s not MSC.” |
