Oregon Trawl Commission Strongly Disputes Our Criticism of MSC's Approach to West Coast Groundfish
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Brad Pettinger, Executive Director of the Oregon Trawl Commission June 20, 2017
OTC Rebuttal to Seafoodnews.com
As the director of the Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), the client for the MSC certification of the US West Coast Groundfish Trawl Fishery, I feel that I need to respond to Monday’s article about the MSC and the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery. First off all, I think that the title is so far removed from reality, that it’s almost laughable. With that, I’ll address my rebuttal point by point, ending with my thoughts on the article’s title.
The rot at the heart of the MSC system is that they have no concern for maximum sustainable yield, the key driver of fisheries sustainability and economic viability.
- I don’t know where this rationale comes from. A fishery is scored against the MSC standard, taking into consideration the management system that a fishery operates in. In their infinite wisdom, the Pacific Council opted for an overfished threshold of 25% B◦, whereas the rest of the US fishery councils have a 20% B◦ ...
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