Russian fishermen recognized importance of MSC certification

On 16 November 2010 a meeting between the representatives of WWF, MSC and PINRO, Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency and the Union of the Fishermen of the North took place. At the meeting they decided to create a working group within Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency which would investigate the opportunities of certification of Russian fisheries (cod, haddock, herring, mackerel and saithe) in the North basin with participation of Union of the Fishermen of the North and other interested bodies of Murmansk region.

In the Northern fisheries basin the fishermen have been actively participating in the process of MSC certification. Namely, Ocean Trawlers Group has entered the final stage of MSC certification of cod and haddock fisheries operated by its Russian suppliers.

Global tendency to switch on trading seafood products only from sustainable fisheries make Russian fishermen also participate in the process in order not to lose markets. Russian Fisheries Agency has also admitted the importance of the process which decided to take part in Alaska pollock MSC certification in the Russian Far East. More specifically, the official body said to do everything as possible to certify the pollock fishery in the Sea of Okhotsk by July 2011, and the pollock fishery in the Bering Sea in the third quarter 2011.

Besides, recently, independent certifier MRAG Аmericas, the Sakhalin Salmon Initiative Center and the Sakhalin Regional Fisheries Association, which include 11 commercial fishing companies in the Russian Far East, have entered three pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) fisheries into independent, third-party assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council principles and criteria for sustainable fishing in the Northeast Sakhalin and Aniva Bay. In September -October 2011 eleven fishing areas in Sakhalin might get the MSC certificate.

ZAO Gidrostroy based in Iturup has become the first Russian company to get MSC label.