Russia pushes MSC recertification for pollock from Sea of Okhotsk

Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries announced at the 2017 Seafood Expo Global that it would seek Marine Stewardship Council recertification for pollock from the Sea of Okhotsk, according to the agency.

The Alaska trawl fishery in the Sea of Okhotsk was first certified by MSC in 2013 and Russia is seeking a recertification that would extend MSC approval of the fishery by the standard five years.

Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Russia and Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Ilya Shestakov said the government “supported and encouraged” recertification for the fishery. 

“[It] is guided by scientific justifications, the principles of sustainable fisheries and the rational use of stocks of aquatic biological resources,” Shestakov said.

While praising MSC, Shestakov also called for the eventual creation of a Russian environmental certification that could “guarantee the safety of products, preserve the balance of water ecosystems, and also become an alternative independent tool that confirms the quality of domestic products in the domestic and foreign markets."