Monterey Bay Aquarium Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources

William "Zeke" Grader (Pacific Cost Federation of Fishermen's Associations), Jennifer Dianto (Monterey Bay Aquarium), Natasha Benjamin (Institute for Fisheries Resources), 2002. Monterey Bay Aquarium Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources. In: Ridge, Tom (Ed.). Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), Washington DC, p. 3.

This is a letter from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources to the 2002 Director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, recommending that basic measures for labeling seafood in retail stores be required. They state the following reasons:

- European Union (EU) adopted regulations requiring labeling of all fisheries and aquaculture products
*labeling regulation is intended to strengthen traceability
- All fisheries products on sale at retailers will have to be labeled with the following information
(1) the commercial name of the species
(2) the production method (wild or farmed)
(3) the area where the fish was caught
- Reasons for Congress to adopt legislation:
(1) Security
(2) Consumer Right-to-Know
(3) Domestic Market
(4) Foreign Market
(5) Health Safety
(6) Sustainable Fisheries

My thoughts...
It is stated in the letter:
"Informational labeling does not render any judgment on the sustainability of the product or the impact that its harvest has on the environment."

This is true since the consumer will have to formulate their own opinion. Biased information will be provided by all stakeholders. It is the job of academic researchers to sort through this information and provide unbiased information on which consumers can base their knowledge. How academic research makes it from journals to consumers untainted is another issue...