MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. Russian pollock catchers continue abiding by sustainable fishing principles when following international standards, President of the Pollock Catchers Association Alexey Buglak told TASS.

In April 2024, US senators addressed the Marine Stewardship Council with a call to prohibit the use of the international environmental fishing certificate by Russian fishermen.

The standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the most well-known and reputed fishing certification program. The bulk of pollock catch in Russia has the MSC certificate. Accredited international agencies audit fisheries in terms of their sustainability, the expert noted. The international environmental certificate developed by MSC guarantees that fish and seafood are coming only from legal and environmentally responsible fisheries.

"Despite all the baseless accusations, Russian pollock catchers continue following sustainable fishing principles, being governed by international standards and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries," Buglak said.

Pressure applied by US fishermen and officials on the Marine Stewardship Council has clearly manifested commercial motivation, aimed at restoring the monopoly position of the Alaska pollack IN THE European market, the expert said. "Anti-Russian sanctions did not help and our competitors are looking for new tools to struggle with Russian products," Buglak noted.

"Despite all the difficulties and constraints we face when passing audits due to the political pressure of the US, including on audit agencies, MSC has never made any indulgencies for us, assessing strictly in accordance with approved requirements that are common for all fishing market participants. This reputed organization has never given grounds to the international fishing and environment protection community to doubt their competence and objectivity," the expert stressed.