Marine Aquarium Council

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The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) was a non-profit stewardship organization based in Los Angeles, California. Established to provide education and certification to fisheries of ornamental marine aquarium fish, as well as facilitate the supply of ecologically sustainable imports for wholesalers and dealers of fish, coral, and invertebrates for use and sale in marine aquariums, MAC monitored the trade in order to optimize its relevancy and effectiveness in the live fish trade. [1] [2]

MAC ceased to exist in 2008. [3]

History

The Marine Aquarium Council was created in 1998 to create universal system of standards and eco-labeling in the marine aquarium trade. MAC worked with conservation officials, fisheries, importers, and wholesalers to develop certification programs at fisheries in the Philippines, Indonesia, Fiji, Hawaii, and the UK. Compliance to its standards is voluntary. MAC issued certificates of compliance to fisheries, importers, exporters, and retailers throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. [4] MAC certification was the only program of its kind to offer wholesalers and retailers a credential recognizing environmental stewardship and ethical treatment of marine life. [5] [6] [7]

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References

  1. "Marine Aquarium Council Certification". Amblard.com. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  2. "Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) Certification". Ecolabel Index. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  3. David Vosseler (February 15, 2015). "Is it Time for Another Marine Aquarium Council (MAC)?". Fishchannel.com. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. "IMS International-Marine Aquarium Council". Imsworld.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  5. "The Marine Aquarium Council, certifying quality and sustainability in the marine aquarium industry" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  6. "Marine Fauna: Why did MarineFauna not seek recertification with MAC?". Marinefauna-cebu.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  7. "Monitoring of International Trade in Ornamental Fish" (PDF). Unep-wcmc.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2014-02-15.