Traditional territory of the Wabanaki Peoples/Fredericton — Matthew Abbott, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s marine program director, today issued the following statement:
“The Conservation Council of New Brunswick has joined several environmental and community groups in denouncing the Global Seafood Alliance’s (GSA) Best Aquaculture Practices Salmon Farm Standard certification as a greenwashing ploy used to protect the salmon farming industry – not wild fish or marine life.
In a joint letter submitted in response to the GSA’s public consultation on the standard’s third iteration, 76 environmental and community non-governmental organizations from across the globe criticized the GSA for misrepresenting BAP-labeled products as ethically sourced and environmentally responsible. In fact, the standard functions as nothing more than a rubber stamp confirming an operation’s legal compliance, status-quo farming practices and management plan.
Several of these BAP-certified facilities have been found to be environmentally negligent. For example, Cooke Aquaculture’s North American sites were certified in 2014, one year after the company pleaded guilty to illegal pesticide use at 15 sites in New Brunswick, which led to the death of commercially caught lobster.
All of us suffer when salmon farms are held to such a low bar. The Global Seafood Alliance’s salmon farming certification program serves only to give industry groups a reason to pat themselves on the back for meeting normal farm practices.”
Read more here: Global groups denounce latest Best Aquaculture Practices salmon farm standard as greenwash.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Corey Robichaud, Director of Communications, Conservation Council of New Brunswick | corey.robichaud@conservationcouncil.ca | 506.458.8747
Matt Abbott, Marine Program Director, Conservation Council of New Brunswick | marine@conservationcouncil.ca | 506.458.8747