Clearwater Welcomes MSC Audit of Offshore Lobster Fishery
Following a request from Clearwater to advance the timing of the annual audit of the fishery, Lloyd’s Register recently announced its decision to undertake its annual surveillance audit of the Eastern Canadian offshore lobster fishery in compliance with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in April.
In the interest of transparency and to acknowledge stakeholder concerns, Clearwater welcomed the full review of its offshore lobster fishery. All stakeholders have an opportunity to participate in the audit process. The site visit for the audit will take place the week of April 8, 2019, earlier than the regularly scheduled annual review, which is typically done in June.
“The Canadian offshore lobster fishery was the first on the eastern seaboard to be certified under the MSC standard and continues to be a model for sustainable fisheries management,” said Christine Penney, vice president of sustainability and public affairs at Clearwater.
“We operate in a responsible and sustainable manner and anticipate the MSC audit process will reaffirm that the fishery continues to meet the very rigorous MSC standard.”
The MSC standard relies on independent review by third-party scientific experts. It requires full vetting of all the available information. Clearwater has been an engaged participant in this program for over 10 years, providing detailed information for expert review and consideration during this annual process.
Tasmania and Nova Scotia Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The Governments of Tasmania and Nova Scotia recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of strengthening collaboration on fisheries and aquaculture matters.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell lead a group of industry representatives on an eight-day mission to Tasmania, Australia in February to help build business relationships and learn more about best practices.
“Nova Scotia’s seafood industry is one of our province’s most valuable and successful resources,” said Colwell.
“It is important to take advantage of opportunities to learn from other leaders around the world, so we can continue to build on our successes here in Nova Scotia.”
Tasmania has recreational, commercial and aquaculture industries including rock lobster and salmon farming. The purpose of the mission was to share ideas and best practices on sustainability, quality, safety and Tasmania’s clean green program.
The group met with Tasmania’s Minister for Primary Industries and Water Guy Barnett in the capital Hobart, the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council, the Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fisherman’s Association, the University of Tasmania and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies.
They also visited lobster fishermen at their wharfs, marine salmon farms, a salmon hatchery and a food tourism operation.
Following the Tasmania meetings, Colwell joined other Nova Scotia seafood companies at the Pan Atlantic mission to Singapore and Japan.
During that mission, he met with key stakeholders to build trade relationships and showcase the province’s high-quality seafood through targeted business to business meetings. Market diversification will play a vital role as companies work to grow their business at home.
Companies had the opportunity to hear directly from industry experts in each of the markets.
In 2017, exports from Nova Scotia to Japan were valued around $111 million, up from $62 million in 2009. Seafood is the number one export with fruit and nut products coming in second.
