MSC NAMES FIRST SUPPLIER

LONDON -- The Marine Stewardship Council based here has named EcoFish, Portsmouth, N.H., the first national distributor to receive the organization's chain of custody certification for seafood products certified sustainable as part of the MSC's "Seafood Forever" program, according to officials. To bear the MSC ecolabel, a fishery comes forward to be assessed against the MSC sustainability standard. A third-party certifier examines the health of the fish stock, the effect fishing has on the marine ecosystem and the fishery management practices. Once a fishery earns certification, processors and distributors undergo a chain of custody certification proving the traceability of the certified fish. Products from certified fisheries can then use the MSC ecolabel. The Alaskan salmon fishery is the first U.S. fishery to earn certification and the largest fishery certified to date. Other approved fisheries include Western Australian rock lobster, Thames herring and New Zealand hoki, with more than two dozen other fisheries at some point in the MSC certification process.