The short-neck clam fishery of Ashtamudi Lake was awarded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification on Wednesday. The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organisation that sets standards for sustainable fishing around the world.
First of its kind
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, the Kerala State Fisheries Department and the World Wildlife Fund, had joined hands with the local fishing community to achieve the certification. It was for the first time that a fishery in India has been awarded the certification, the organisers said.
When buyers choose to purchase MSC certified fish, fisheries are rewarded for sustainable practices. In this way, the MSC programme helps to harness market forces to incentivise positive environmental change.
Over 3,000 fishers are involved in clam fishery in the lake.
Panchayat honoured
Thankachi Prabhakaran, president of Chavara Thekkumbhagam panchayat, received the certification from David Agnew, MSC Standards Director.
Ravi Singh, Secretary General of WWF-India; A. Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI; Hem Pande, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Leena Nair, Chairperson, Marine Products Export Development Authority; K.K. Appukuttan, marine fisheries expert; and Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF, attended.
2014, The Hindu