As fishermen continue to haul traps full of blue crabs from of the calm waters of Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana, their entire industry is wondering about its future. Soon after BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University began finding droplets of oil in the larvae of blue crabs from Louisiana to Florida. In the past, protecting the future of the fishery meant implementing sustainable fishing practices and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board began pursuing the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability certification before the spill. But now, as their livelihood is threatened by the creeping oil plume, fishermen are faced with a more basic question: does sustainable fishing still matter in the face of the Gulf crisis?

Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, believes sustainability matters now more than ever and is going forward with certification. Smith says, “While we began taking steps to enter the MSC program long before the Gulf oil spill, the assessment now takes on new urgency and importance.”  Blue crabs are absorbing oil directly and through the snails and smaller crabs that they eat. The oil hampers reproduction in the blue crabs, so the population becomes even more susceptible to overfishing. The blue crab is considered a keystone species, providing food for a host of bird, fish, and mammal species. It’s also a key species for the Gulf’s human residents—it supports 3,000 commercial crab fishermen in Louisiana and generates 26 percent of the total blue crabs for the nation with a dockside value of $32 million.

While Gulf coast communities will be glad to know that this iconic fishery is being protected, consumers want to know if these crabs are safe for consumption. In the short term, the answer is as murky as the Gulf. The MSC Certification process will consider the impact of the spill on the sustainability of the stock but it does not examine seafood safety or quality. The MSC was designed as an independent non-profit that would reward sustainable fishing practices and business operations.  Impact of the spill will be considered in relation to impact on the sustainability of the stock, however, decisions regarding opening and closing state waters in relation to the spill, and other fisheries management decisions, remain fully the jurisdiction of the state. The MSC assessment will consider the impact of the spill in relation to its impact on the sustainability of the stock, but the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other local, state and federal agencies will decide whether the crabs are safe for consumption and when to open or close the fishery.

The reason the blue crab fishery is going forward with certification is that the MSC Certification provides a long term advantage in protecting the fish stocks and the local fishing industry. As fishermen grapple with the risks and impacts of the oil spill, MSC Certification will help them stand out to their suppliers for responsible practices. Smith says, “We are working diligently to retain the Louisiana Seafood brand in our markets in the face of the spill, and independent third-party sustainability certification will assist our efforts.”

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has contracted with Scientific Certification Systems to conduct the assessment as an independent third party. The assessment team will review documentation, interview stakeholders and evaluate the crab fishery against performance indicators that relate to the health of the stock, the impacts on the ecosystem and the management system. The team then writes a draft report, which is reviewed by two independent peer reviewers and posted for public comment. After considering all comments, a final report is released that includes the final decision on whether or not to award certification. If certification is granted, consumers can support sustainability in the Gulf fishery by seeking out products with the MSC ecolabel.

Lake Pontchartrain has recovered from severe pollution before and has survived Hurricane Katrina. Kerry Coughlin, MSC Americas regional director, says: “Fishermen, fishing families and communities have been tremendously hard hit by the Gulf oil spill.  MSC Certification has brought market recognition to fisheries of many sizes and scales around the world, and has helped preserve livelihoods and important legacies for fisheries with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability.  We sincerely hope that will be the case for the blue crab fishermen of Louisiana.” There’s a saying that a fishing line has a hook on one end and an optimist on the other. In the Gulf, the fishermen have no choice but to be optimistic.

Photo by chesbayprogram/flickr/Creative Commons