Eleven fishing sites of Sakhalin to get MSC certificate in 2011

According to Sergey Didenko, CEO of Sakhalin Salmon Initiative (an autonomous non-commercial organization), the region's authorities have exerted great efforts towards MSC certification. More specifically, in 2008-2010 they collected all the information on the fisheries in question and worked out a data base. The fishery sustainability level has been estimated under three principles: condition of fish stocks, impact on ecosystem and management system. As a result, the fisheries in the northeast of Sakhalin and in the Aniva Bay (waters of Krilyon) have been found ready for certification.

In late October 2010 a certification team from MRAG Americas, Sakhalin Salmon Initiative and Sakhalin Fishermen's Association signed an agreement on pink salmon fishery certification.

MSC certification

MSC certification will impose obligations of the fishermen's compliance with IUU practices meaning voluntary repudiation of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing operations. The fishermen will therefore engage themselves not to participate in poaching and not to purchase fish harvested by poachers.

In other words, a fishing company should meet all the requirements of environmental legislation, use only approved fishing gear and treat the wild stocks with care in order to make the salmon fishery on the particular site sustainable.

MSC certificate will enable the fishermen to sell their products at higher prices both on the domestic and international markets; while the consumers will grow confident that the fish products under MSC label are of high quality and have legal origin.

Last year ZAO Gidrostroy (closed jsc) based in Iturup became Russia's pioneer in getting MSC certification for its fishery, Sergey Didenko reminded.