Alaska Salmon
In 1999, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) began discussions with the MSC and SCS about being a 'test' case for the MSC initiative. In 2000, ADF&G volunteered to be one of the initial projects for the MSC program by allowing its salmon management to be independently evaluated by a team of experts. ADF&G contracted SCS to perform the evaluation of the world's largest salmon fishery. Through consultation with industry, ADF&G, and stakeholders, SCS identified and hired a team of qualified fisheries experts to assist with the evaluation process and write a report on its findings to the MSC.
The project was designed to assess whether the MSC certification process could work on large-scale anadromous fisheries. It also helped ADF&G assess how its management program performed against an independent standard for good fisheries management. After completing the initial test case, Alaska decided to continue the project by applying for full MSC certification. In the summer of 2000, further consultations were held with stakeholders and the evaluation team reviewed additional information. In October 2000, the evaluation team found that Alaska salmon fisheries met the Principles and Criteria of the MSC, and therefore could use of the MSC logo for salmon caught in Alaska.
Since the certification of the salmon fisheries in Alaska, a number of businesses have applied to receive MSC chain-of-custody certification for their respective facilities so they might carry the MSC logo. Use of the MSC logo demonstrates their commitment to sustainable fishery management. To accomplish chain-of-custody certification, businesses in the production chain (e.g., processors, distributors, and retailers) must demonstrate that systems are in place to identify and track fish from a certified source through to shipment to the next customer.
Certification Reports
- Public Summary Report for Alaska Salmon (pdf format)
- Alaska Salmon Performance Indicators Part 1 (pdf format)
- Alaska Salmon Performance Indicators Part 2 (pdf format)
