3LN Redfish Enters MSC Full Assessment

April 1, 2015

Ocean Choice International (OCI), as a member of the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC), has received official notice that the 3LN redfish has entered the full assessment process to be evaluated against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable and well managed fisheries.

“Ocean Choice International (OCI) takes great pride in ensuring all our fisheries operate in a responsible and sustainable manner. We now have 90% of our fisheries either MSC certified or in assessment and this reaffirms our commitment to sustainability,” said Blaine Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer. “This puts OCI in a very unique leadership position that shows, as a vertically integrated seafood company with extensive quotas and our own fishing fleet, we are totally committed to responsible fisheries management and sustainable fisheries.”

MSC assessment will evaluate the status of Redfish, the impacts that the fishery has on the marine ecosystem and the management system overseeing this fishery. MSC is considered the preeminent international standard for certification of sustainable fisheries. In order to achieve certification, every fishery must prove that it meets three Principles:

1. A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to over fishing or depletion of the exploited populations.
2. Fishing operations should allow for the maintenance of the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem.
3. The fishery is subject to an effective management system that requires use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable.