MOSCOW, June 25 (RAPSI) - An independent arbitrator has sent back for improvement an application that the Russian Pollock Catchers Association filed to obtain a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate, Kommersant reports on Tuesday.

The arbitrator appointed by MSC ordered the Russian producers to improve seven out of 31 performance indicators required for a certificate, a source at the association said.

The US At-Sea Processors Association (APA) contested 16 of the assessment criteria claiming that the Russian fisheries do not conform to the MSC standards; however the judge rejected nine of the objections.

"As for the remaining standards, the judge stated that the information was incomplete," Pollock Catchers Association head German Zverev said.

Pollock Catchers Association is trying to certify Pollock production in the Barents and Okhotsk seas, Kommersant reported on June 4. After its final report was published, World Wildlife Fund filed two objections and APA 16. WWF's objections have been settled out of court.

The global Pollock catch is close to 3.25 million metric tons per year. Russia is the largest producer with an annual catch exceeding 1.2 million tons worth $1.3 billion, while the US monetary returns from certified Pollock production is $980 million (0.9 million tons).

According to Pollock Catchers Association's estimates, an MSC certificate will give Russian fisheries an additional $150 million a year from the growth of Pollock product export prices.