Fishers in Southeast Alaska intercept and kill millions of Canadian salmon in non-selective net fisheries as they swim past Alaska on their way home, all while Canadian fisheries are closed to rebuild dwindling stocks. Seafood certification organizations like Marine Stewardship Council and Ocean Wise have maintained their 'sustainable' certification for Alaskan seafood. But fisheries that survive by taking another country’s endangered fish are about as far from sustainable as you can get.
Wild salmon are part of who we are and are especially vital for Indigenous communities. Canadians rely on organizations like Ocean Wise and Marine Stewardship Council to help us choose sustainable seafood options, but when certification organizations are letting some fisheries slip by, it’s hard to know which options are right for our families. Dwindling salmon stocks also affect our ecosystems depriving Southern Resident Killer Whales, Grizzly bears and eagles of critical prey.
When seafood is labelled 'sustainable,' consumers expect it to be
Tell Marine Stewardship Council and Ocean Wise to decertify Southeast Alaska's salmon fisheries until they are truly sustainable, and when you can, reconsider your purchase of any Alaskan seafood until their fishing fleet in the Southeast stops intercepting and killing so many endangered Canadian salmon.
Send your letter now, then check your email for some tips on where you can buy sustainably caught salmon.