(RICHMOND, VA)—Today, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) submitted an objection to the recommendation of a provisional certification of Omega Protein’s Atlantic Menhaden Fishery to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. CBF Senior Regional Ecosystem Scientist Chris Moore issued the following statement.
“CBF and TNC have partnered on menhaden conservation efforts both in Virginia and along the entire Atlantic Coast. Both organizations have been working throughout the MSC process to express their concerns about the certification of this fishery given the current status of the menhaden stock and lack of compliance by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“MSC’s standards run the risk of becoming meaningless if it certifies this fishery, which clearly does not meet all of MSC’s core principles.”
