Since our last newsletter in January, three fisheries were certified, one was re-certified, and three entered full assessment in the Americas region which includes significant new volumes of lobster from Atlantic Canada.

• The multi-species U.S. West Coast groundfish fishery gained certification. Thirteen species were certified including the first rockfish and skate in the MSC program.
•  In March the Falkland Islands Toothfish longline fishery earned certification. This is the first fishery in the Falkland Islands to be certified.

• The first Chilean fishery was also certified -- the Chilean mussel fishery and suspended culture located in Region X of “Los Lagos de Chile” in the South East Pacific Ocean.
• In Canada, two Gulf of St. Lawrence shrimp fisheries combined and achieved MSC re-certification as one fishery.
• The Bay of Fundy, Scotian Shelf and Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence lobster trap  fishery in Canada entered MSC assessment. Harvesters in this fishery landed approximately 54,000 metric tonnes of lobster in 2012.
• The Gaspésie lobster fishery entered into MSC assessment in Canada.  The fishery landed 1,370 tonnes of lobster in 2013, accounting for one third of the lobster landed in Quebec.  
• The Canada/Newfoundland 3Ps cod fishery also entered assessment. This is an important step for a fishery that recovered from a reduced stock in the 1990’s and recently completed an improvement plan that involved all local stakeholders.