Last updated on August 16th, 2012 at 11:34 am
Bering Sea crab will be the next Alaska fishery to win certification for sustainability, according to United Nations guidelines, helping to increase market access for Seattle-based seafood producers, reports the Puget Sound Business Journal.
In December, the $1.1 billion pollock fishery won the same United Nations sustainability certification, following salmon, halibut and black cod, which were certified starting in March.
The effort, supported by the Juneau-based Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, will help companies market their seafood to outlets, including restaurants and food distributors, that require sustainability certifications.
The certifications are an effort to guarantee that the fish are being harvested in a sustainable manner, and are not among the species that are being fished to possible extinction.
“It helps in that it’s a low-cost alternative to help these distributors and processors access markets where customers are asking for a certification,” said Tyson Fick, communications director for the institute.
Research for the certification was done by Global Trust Certifiers, an organization in Ireland that did the work according to standards set by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, he said.
