The following is a non-MAFMC event that may be of interest to the Council's stakeholders. For more information please see the contact information at the bottom of the post. Please click here to open the original announcement (PDF).

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) process for independently evaluating the fishery above is moving forward in the Assessment Process. The assessment team from SCS Global Services will be conducting a meeting in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA, on April 1, 2016.

There will be an open stakeholder meeting scheduled from 3:00-5:00pm, Friday, April 1, 2016, at the Holiday Inn Falmouth . Please register your interest to ensure you receive important updates on meeting time and location.

• Template for Stakeholder Input into MSC Fishery Assessments
• Stakeholder’s Guide to the Marine Stewardship Council

SCS invites all stakeholders to meet with the team and bring forth any issues or concerns about the certification of this fishery. The meeting will include participants such as fishermen, fishery managers, scientists and stakeholders to gain a full understanding of the current state of the fishery.

Stakeholder input is an integral part of a thorough MSC assessment. This notice is to advise any parties (individuals or organizations) interested in providing input through attendance of the on-site stakeholder meeting, or otherwise, to contact SCS and provide:

• your name and contact details;
• your association with the fishery; and
• the issues you would like to discuss (in order for us to arrange appropriate representation).

As a reminder, information is most useful to the assessment team when it is specific and includes constructive suggestions for improving existing situations. Also, supporting documentary evidence for any issues of concern will be greatly appreciated by the assessment team.

Please contact SCS by 1700 GMT March 21, 2016 to register interest.

Information on the MSC standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries is available at www.msc.org. More information about the US Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog fishery assessment can be found here: https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/in-assessment/north-east-atlantic/us-atlanticsurfclam-and-ocean-quahog/us-atlantic-surfclam-and-ocean-quahog?searchterm=us+surfclam  

Contact Details:

Mrs. Jennifer Humberstone
SCS Global Services, Inc. 
2000 Powell St., Suite 600
Emeryville, CA 94608
Office: 510.452.6396 (USA) 
Fax at: 510.452.6884 (USA) 
Email at: jhumberstone@scsglobalservices.com