AN OBJECTION procedure conducted as part of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery’s voluntary assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s standard has been rejected by an independent adjudicator. The adjudicator, Canadian maritime attorney Wylie Spicer, did not uphold the objections raised by the objecting parties. The certifier will now submit the Final Certification Report to the MSC recommending the fishery be certified.

The MSC certification programme contains an objections procedure as a final step in the assessment to provide an orderly, structured, transparent and independent process for review of the certifier’s recommendation if stakeholders challenge the outcome.

In February, 2010, the David Suzuki Foundation, Skeena Wild Conservation Trust and Watershed Watch Salmon Society, filed an objection over the determination made by TAVEL Certification (now part of Moody Marine Ltd) that the Fraser River salmon fishery should be certified.

The adjudicator looks specifically at whether any errors were made by the certifier that would materially affect the outcome in reaching a decision about certification. The adjudicator held a hearing in May and subsequently reviewed materials submitted by the parties involved. The objections procedure does not reassess a fishery. The findings are determined by the adjudicator on the basis of materials submitted with no involvement of the MSC.

The Fraser River area is one of four units of certification in the British Columbia (B.C.) sockeye salmon fishery that sought certification to the MSC standard. The other three units – Skeena River, Nass River and Barkley Sound – were not part of this objection procedure and recently successfully completed certification.