Letters: MSC defends fees, voluntary payment for duplicate certification systems
To the Editor Re: MSC certification system imposes $100,000 tax on Maine Lobster Industry Sept. 10th
On Wednesday, September 10, 2014, John Sackton published his opinion that contained several incorrect statements about the Marine Stewardship Council and the Maine lobster fishery. Anyone who might have read the inaccuracies deserves to have accurate information.
MSC is a non-profit organisation which sets the world’s leading standard for sustainable seafood. Businesses enter assessment for this standard voluntarily. Assessment fees do not go to the MSC, rather they fund an independent assessment of the fishery’s sustainability. Third-party assessments are transparent consultations open to all relevant stakeholders. This gives consumers confidence that the seafood they purchase has been independently verified as from a fishery which meets strict scientific standards for sustainability.
Conservation and sustainability are at the heart of the MSC’s mission. Since 1999, those achieving MSC certification have made hundreds of improvements to their fishing practices. They have reduced bycatch, rebuilt fish populations and adopted new fishing techniques to reduce ecosystem impacts.
In the interests of transparency, the MSC publishes an Annual Report..
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