The world has given a sigh of relief as the US and Switzerland have tackled corruption in FIFA – the world soccer organization where bribery and corruption have been endemic. The FIFA scandal involved a basic pay to play: bribes for votes and contracts.
In the fisheries world, the MSC has a dominant position in seafood certification, and yet it also has a corruption problem. The MSC’s ‘pay to play’ is not explicit bribery, but it is a complex structure of exclusivity that gives some clients the ability to hijack public resources for their own gain. This goes directly against FAO ecolabel guidelines, and this arrangement directly helps the MSC sell certifications, and thereby derive logo revenues.
We have no news yet on how the Marine Stewardship Council is going to resolve its horrendous mis-management of Alaska Salmon certifications. Its current inaction however shows that its commercial model is now morally bankrupt, and must be reformed.
As of today, numerous Alaskan companies, both large and small, are being stonewalled by a rogue client group whose manager, Rob Zuanich, is largely seen in the industry as being driven by personal vendettas.
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