Alaska pollock

Bear with me here of a moment as I review the last few days in the life of Alaska pollock-on Wednesday the fishery was cleared for Marine Stewardship Council  recertification and then on Thursday Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) downgraded it from best choice to good alternative. I'm sorry. Come again. One day it's cleared for MSC certification and the next it's downgraded by MBA?

While biologists work on their assessment of the Alaska pollock stocks it is important to keep in mind a few facts. Since 1977 the U.S. has overseen Alaska pollock and made it a model of fisheries management for the world. Despite ebbs and flows in the available biomass this fishery has remained the picture of responsibility. Here's another picture to keep in mind when people suggest otherwise: Alaska Pollock 1990-2009

Two weeks ago The Economist was taking unsubstantiated pot shots at seafood and ended up printing a letter from NFI after we exposed its shoddy reporting. This week it's back on the watery warpath taking Greenpeace talking points as fact and disparaging safe, healthy, sustainable Alaska pollock. What gives Economist? Since when did this venerable publication become a distortion filled eco-activist rag?

Greenpeace has reached a new low. This time in the face of well-researched science and independent government assessments that say "Alaska pollock population levels are high, and no overfishing is occurring" the extremist group has chosen to air TV ads in Seattle and Anchorage disparaging Alaska pollock.

You might remember about a month ago Reuters published a poorly sourced article filled with inaccuracies about Alaska pollock that was based on an erroneous Greenpeace press release.  Of course we called Reuters on this issue and as it turns out so did the At-Sea Processors Association and the Genuine Alaska Pollock producers. Objectivity and accuracy in reporting about seafood is a concern shared by the entire seafood community.

There is no doubt the economic downturn is hurting everyone these days and apparently Greenpeace is no exception. Take a look below at a fundraising email that went out on Friday. Greenpeace is using an erroneous scare story that it concocted to goad supporters into forking over their hard earned money to help stem the tide of a crisis that it invented.

The Alaska pollock fishery is not in danger of collapse. The always measured and restrained folks at Greenpeace were at it again today. This time insisting they were right that overfishing has pushed Alaska Pollock to the brink of collapse. Not just the brink but the cusp... and we all know the cusp is much worse than the brink.