Several major seafood associations are lending their support to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP), which is considering organic standards being applied to wild-caught seafood.
During a listening session hosted by NOP leadership this month, the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) joined leaders from sister trade associations the Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA), National Fisheries institute (NFI), the At Sea Processors Association (APA) and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) in commending the agency for exploring opportunities to expand the program to include wild-caught seafood.
“Americans rely on and trust the USDA organic seal. Its complete absence from the seafood sector is an enormous missed opportunity and one that we welcome the opportunity to work with the National Organic Program to rectify,” said Craig Morris, CEO of GAPP.
“Quite simply, there is no more ‘organic’ product than wild-caught seafood responsibly harvested from the pristine waters of Alaska.”
The collective comments submitted during the listening session noted that the Alaska region leads the world in its science-based conservation of marine resources and fishery management practices, according to a statement on the meeting from GAPP.
Currently, US organic standards do not exist for either wild-caught or farm-raised fish. However, the Organic Foods Production Act does include seafood, making the creation of organic standards possible, according to the Organic Trade Association.
