Alaska-based seafood processor Copper River Seafoods is withdrawing its support for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified Alaska salmon in 2014, citing its disagreement with certification group Intertek Moody Marine's decision to delay the assessment of the Prince William Sound pink and chum salmon fisheries, the company said.
"The Alaska Salmon Fishery Public Comment Draft Report has caused a sea change at Copper River Seafoods," Copper River wrote on its site.
The report, released in early August, found that while 13 of the 14 Alaska salmon fishing regions continued to meet the MSC requirements for sustainably managed fisheries, the Prince William Sound chum and pink fisheries should remain in assessment pending further investigation into the impacts hatchery-raised fish may have on wild stocks.
