Despite a letter to Alaskan Salmon suppliers to the contrary, Walmart's Michael Duke says that the retail giant is not abandoning wild caught Alaska salmon even though it is not certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

In that letter sent out recently by Walmart, the statement that Walmart made to salmon suppliers said, “to meet our requirements for wild-caught seafood, the source fishery must be certified sustainable to the MSC standard (or equivalent*) or, if not certified, actively working toward certification.”

80% of the salmon processors are no longer affiliated with MSC.

About mid-July, Alaska’s Governor Sean Parnell wrote a letter to Duke, in it he said, “Although your commitment to source only MSC seafood may have been sensible when first declared back in 2006, that policy is now sorely dated and is serving only to deprive your customers of high quality products produced in America, and forcing your company to source salmon from less sustainable fisheries in foreign nations.

“I encourage you to reconsider ways you can help Alaskan processors continue to bring the best frozen wild salmon in the world to consumers by adjusting your evaluations and Sustainability Index to reflect the real-world quality of our salmon products and responsible, sustainable salmon management program.”

In response to that letter, Walmart met with state leaders and pointed out that wild-caught Alaska Salmon is important to Walmart because of high consumer demand for the product. That meeting came just days after Parnell sent his letter to Duke.

Walmart has also invited Alaska to send a team to Walmart’s corporate headquarters to educate executives and buyers about Alaska’s sustainable fisheries and management practices. Invited to attend was the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Commerce, and Economic Development, and the office of the Governor.

As a result of that meeting, Governor Parnell issued a statement saying, “Alaska salmon is undeniably the worldwide symbol for healthy protein and fisheries sustainability,” Governor Parnell said. “People around the world understand the high value of Alaska salmon. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with Walmart to ensure their consumers can continue to enjoy our seafood products.”

Alaska’s salmon industry provides more than 70,000 jobs annually.

The letter from Governor Parnell that prompted the meeting between Walmart and the state can be read here.

Walmarts coorespondence to salmon suppliers can be seen here.