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As of right now there are several groups that "certify" and put a label on sustainable fish, the most prominent of which is the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent, non-profit organization based in the UK. Established in 1999 as a joint effort between industry (Unilever) and conservation (WWF), the MSC has certified 857 products as of September 2007 (MSC 2007). A major issue the MSC faces is the lack of publicity: because so few sustainable fish products exist and the council is independent of other larger conservation groups, the lack of name recognition has made it more difficult for the MSC to advertise the advantages of the ecolabeled products. Before the MSC began to market its products, a survey conducted in the U.S. in 1998 showed that only 5 percent of those polled would trust the MSC as a certification agency, compared to 23 percent for WWF and 49 percent for the National Marine Fisheries Service. Since then, markets such as Wal-Mart and Whole Foods have pledged to sell MSC-certified products (Gunther, 2006), which will undoubted undoubtedly have an impact because the two retailers tend to tailor to two very different types of consumers, but many other markets have yet to realize that by doing business with sustainable fisheries, they are insuring that their fish supply will not collapse in the future.
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FLO International also plays an overarching role in linking the suppliers of fair trade products--such as the various producer organizations representing small farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America--to retailers and consumers in North America, Europe, and Australia. While the producers of sustainable fish can come from both the fisheries of both developed and developing nations, the sustainability label, like the fair trade label, will be targeted mainly towards consumers in developed countries who are most appealed by the "feel-good factor" and are most likely to be able to afford the luxury. The list of countries where MSC labeled food is currently sold is largely consistent with the countries that have fair trade intiatives. When Alaskan pollock received its MSC certification in 2004, Richard Muir, the president of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, expressed his hopes that the label would help the marketing group, and cited Europeans in particular as strong supporters of sustainable products (Alaska Pollock Press Release, 2004).
Regarding the design and labeling criteria, we propose a three tier system, consisting of red, yellow, and green labels. The red label will indicate a product from an unhealthy, unsustainable population which if possible should not be eaten. The yellow and green labels will indicate fish that are being fished in a sustainable manner with the difference being that they yellow labeled fish come from populations that have not yet completely recovered while the green labeled fish come from populations that have reached half of caring carrying capacity and are being fished at or slightly below maximum sustainable yield. We would encourage choosing green labeled fish over those with yellow labels, and strongly discourage any consumption of red labeled fish.
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An NGO may also want to take advantage of the growing consumer culture and create clothing, tote bags, posters, and bumper stickers that would present the dire reality of the fishery situation. These products could present anything from images to facts, and proceeds can go towards funding fish conservation intiatives.
Education Initiatives
We also propose the creation of an NGO which would help match college students learning to do environmental research with countries who need research conducted but lack researchers. The host country could provide housing and food, while the students' colleges and the students themselves can arrange transport. The preponderance of study-abroad programs in the United States attests to the desire of students to work abroad. Such a program would help countries gain valuable environmental data, while also educating students about environmental concerns on a global scale. Wiki Markup
Works Cited
-- Global Aquaculture Alliance: Best Aquaculture Practices. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www.msc.org/HTML_support/logo.gif
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