Today's announcement by the Marine Stewardship Council of the decision to certify the industrial Atlantic menhaden fishery is outrageous. It exposes a failed certification scheme that appears to prioritize licensing fees over conservation. Why else would a consumer facing labeling system certify a fishery that is not consumed by humans?

Reduction fishing is the practice of catching massive quantities of forage fish for processing into fish meal and oil to sell on a global commodities market for about $.08 a pound. The products are used primarily to feed for other animals, including pets, salmon and swine. Substitutes are readily available for all of the products produced in the reduction fishing industry.

20 percent of all global fish catch comes from this type of fishing, undermining the ecological health of the marine food web.

Menhaden Defenders has launched a petition to convince the Marine Stewardship Council to stop certifying reduction fisheries as sustainable. More than a 1000 people have added their names to the petition. If you haven't done so already, please add yours.
Today's announcement by the Marine Stewardship Council of the decision to certify the industrial Atlantic menhaden fishery is outrageous. It exposes a failed certification scheme that appears to prioritize licensing fees over conservation. Why else would a consumer-facing labeling system certify a fishery that is not consumed by humans?

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