Crab Council Congratulates Sri Lankan FIP Partner on MSC Certification

Reston, VA – In 2013 what was the “NFI” Crab Council began coordination and ultimately funding for a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in Sri Lanka spearheaded by Dr Steve Creech. More than a decade later the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar areas have become the first Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) fisheries to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification.

“Sri Lanka has always been the little engine that could,” said Ed Rhodes, the National Seafood Association Crab Council’s Executive director. “It’s a FIP that punches way above its weight and delivers results. In fact, for years it has been an incubator of sorts that has led the way in testing new BSC fisheries management policies and strategies that we see adopted all over the world.”

The industry supports thousands of small-scale fishers in Sri Lanka and thousands more in the processing arena. It is an example of how the sustainability of a stock is tied directly to the sustainability of a community.

“The buy-in from industry on the ground is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Crab Council Chair Brice Phillips, CEO of Phillips Foods. “People like Tim O’Reilly, from Taprobane Seafoods have dedicated more than a decade to making sure this industry-led collaboration remained focused and moving ahead. This is a significant milestone in that journey.”

The Crab Council supports FIP’s in Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka.