Comments on: Sustainable Chilean sea bass? http://theoystersgarter.com/2008/12/22/sustainable-chilean-sea-bass/ Science served wet and salty Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:08:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Miriam Goldstein http://theoystersgarter.com/2008/12/22/sustainable-chilean-sea-bass/#comment-2620 Miriam Goldstein Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:48:23 +0000 http://theoystersgarter.com/?p=1038#comment-2620 Though I prefer to get my overpriced sustainable jollies from <a href="http://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/certified/pacific/oregon-pink-shrimp/oregon-pink-shrimp-1" rel="nofollow">shrimp</a>, this is great to know. Thanks, Chris! Though I prefer to get my overpriced sustainable jollies from shrimp, this is great to know. Thanks, Chris!

]]> By: Chris Anderson http://theoystersgarter.com/2008/12/22/sustainable-chilean-sea-bass/#comment-2619 Chris Anderson Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:54:27 +0000 http://theoystersgarter.com/?p=1038#comment-2619 Actually, in addition to determining the South Georgia CSB was a separate stock and that the harvesters in place a management system that could adequately monitor and control effort, the MSC imposed fairly strict chain-of-custody requirements on the harvested fish. They are weighed and boxed on the boat, and the boxes are labeled with a weight and number of fish real-time, so it's difficult to slip a non-South Georgia fish into the MSC supply chain. It is additionally reassuring that one buyer (Whole Foods) purchases virtually all of the MSC CSB, so 1) the supply chain is quite direct and relatively easy to monitor and 2) as a consumer, you know if you run across something claiming to be MSC elsewhere (some high end restaurants may get a little that's legitimate), you should be suspicious. On a local level, a small RI quasi-gourmet grocery chain has its CSB labeled with "Sea Bass from Chile is MSC certified." We could start with the fact the South Georgia is in Argentina, or that CSB doesn't come from Chile at all, but perhaps we should focus on the absence of the claim that the CSB in their case is MSC certified (which it isn't at $15/lb). After some failed contacts by fisheries extension and marketing people--including one from the MSC--to help them do better education, they received a cease-and-desist letter last month (so MSC is defending their trademark to ensure it doesn't fuel the purchase of fish from vulnerable stocks). So, eat up! But only from Whole Paycheck. Actually, in addition to determining the South Georgia CSB was a separate stock and that the harvesters in place a management system that could adequately monitor and control effort, the MSC imposed fairly strict chain-of-custody requirements on the harvested fish. They are weighed and boxed on the boat, and the boxes are labeled with a weight and number of fish real-time, so it’s difficult to slip a non-South Georgia fish into the MSC supply chain. It is additionally reassuring that one buyer (Whole Foods) purchases virtually all of the MSC CSB, so 1) the supply chain is quite direct and relatively easy to monitor and 2) as a consumer, you know if you run across something claiming to be MSC elsewhere (some high end restaurants may get a little that’s legitimate), you should be suspicious.

On a local level, a small RI quasi-gourmet grocery chain has its CSB labeled with “Sea Bass from Chile is MSC certified.” We could start with the fact the South Georgia is in Argentina, or that CSB doesn’t come from Chile at all, but perhaps we should focus on the absence of the claim that the CSB in their case is MSC certified (which it isn’t at $15/lb). After some failed contacts by fisheries extension and marketing people–including one from the MSC–to help them do better education, they received a cease-and-desist letter last month (so MSC is defending their trademark to ensure it doesn’t fuel the purchase of fish from vulnerable stocks).

So, eat up! But only from Whole Paycheck.

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