Maryland Pursues MSC Certification for Striped Bass Fishery
Maryland striped bass would be first East Coast fishery to receive certification
 

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary C. Ronald Franks today announced that DNR has signed a contract with the Ecologix Group, Inc. to facilitate certification of our striped bass fishery through a full assessment according to the standards of the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. The MSC is an international non-profit organization whose mandate is the long-term protection of the world’s marine fisheries and associated ecological components.

“The State of Maryland would like to thank our partners who have created a unique opportunity on the Atlantic coast to establish our striped bass fishery as responsibly managed and sustainable over the long term,” said Secretary Franks.

DNR, along with its partners the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Watermen’s Association have contracted with the Annapolis-based Ecologix Group, Inc., to be the facilitator for this process. Ecologix is the recipient of two grants from the Sustainable Fishing Fund and the World Wildlife Fund to assist the partners in funding the assessment. An accredited, independent assessment company will do the actual evaluation, which is expected to take a year. This process will include an analysis of stock condition, review of management and a review of fishing practices. Fishermen, conservationists, scientists and managers will be involved.

"The certification program is a win-win proposition: it offers a marketing incentive for managing sustainably, all determined by independent experts," said William J. Goldsborough, Senior Scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis.

The objective of the MSC is to promote certified sustainable fisheries in the marketplace through the use of the MSC sustainable fisheries eco-label. Consumers educated about the status of wild stocks will reward sustainable fisheries by buying their products. In 1996, the MSC established standards for well-managed and sustainable fisheries. These principles require that a fishery must not lead to over fishing, fishing operations should allow for the maintenance of ecosystem health, and the fishery is subject to an effective and responsible management system. These are the criteria against which the Maryland striped bass fishery will be assessed.

“An assessment by a respected team of experts is an important fishery management validation instrument, and Marine Stewardship Council certification would enhance the marketing efforts of the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Seafood Marketing Program and add economic value to our striped bass industry," said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley.

There are currently 10 MSC certified fisheries worldwide. Six are in the process of being assessed and several dozen more are under review to see if they are worthy of moving into a full assessment.

In cooperation with the other Atlantic coastal states, the migratory striped bass population was brought back from a depleted status to a healthy stock. The coastal commercial catch in 2002 increased to 10 million pounds from lows of less than one million pounds in the early 1980s. The states’ cooperative system of adjusting quotas based on stock condition, limited entry into the fishery, timely reporting of harvest and tagging of all stripers harvested in the fishery have contributed to its successful management. Protection of adult and juvenile habitat and spawning grounds is also a feature of cooperative management.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest striped bass spawning ground on the East Coast and Maryland has been in the forefront of managing its fishery and protecting habitat. Maryland’s 2003 commercial fishery landed 1.8 million pounds of striped bass from the Chesapeake and Atlantic. When completed, the Maryland striped bass would be the first East Coast fishery to receive MSC certification.

Said Captain Larry Simns, President of the Board of the Maryland Watermen's Association, "The striped bass fishery is the best managed fishery on the Bay thanks to the Department of Natural Resources and its management partners. The Marine Stewardship Council's approval of the fishery will help us to certify a top quality product and regain those markets we lost during the moratorium."

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