Sustainability of the Alaska Salmon Fishery

Status of the Alaska salmon fishery. In 2009 Alaska continued over three decades of sustained harvest above 100M salmon; the harvest this year was above 150M including over 40M sockeye, 90M pink, and 16M chum salmon (preliminary State of Alaska data). It was near the median of harvests for the past decade. For some species in some regions the harvest in 2009 was predominantly of hatchery-origin salmon (e.g. Prince William Sound pink salmon, Southeast chum salmon) but most of the harvest depended on locally-managed fisheries dependent on naturally-reproducing salmon in healthy ecosystems. Managers of some local area fisheries suspect that a trend over several recent years toward smaller body size may be occurring (e.g. chum salmon in northern part of Southeast; pink salmon in Southeast.) Marine Stewardship Council Ecolabel. The Alaska salmon fishery was certified Sustainable in 2000 and recertified in 2007 for five years by the Council. Thus salmon harvested in Alaska have been able to carry the MSC sustainability ecolabel in the marketplace. A single certification, applying to all salmon harvested in all parts of Alaska, was sought by Alaska Department of Fish and Game because the market would have been confused by multiple certifications of multiple fisheries for multiple species. Certification applies to all five species harvested in any of the waters of Alaska. The five species are divided into 16 Units in the certification process which evaluates each Unit in certifying the entire fishery. Each Unit is a different regulatory Area or a combination of fishing gear type and Area. Continued Certification is dependent on successful annual surveillance audits by an agent of the Council. The auditors require detailed reports from the Client each year. The Client for the certification process, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, has withdrawn from the process as of May 2009. This means that Alaska salmon harvested before November 2009 can be marketed with the MSC certification ecolabel but if surveillance audits are not provided by a new Client the certification may lapse. It is possible that Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute will undertake the responsibilities of the MSC Client. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The Alaska seafood industry and the State of Alaska cooperate through the Institute in increasing the economic value of the harvest. They intensively promote the sustainability of fisheries, including salmon, to diverse markets. They call attention to Alaska's success in meeting the sustainability criteria defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in their efforts to educate domestic retail, domestic food service, and international customers.