According to Moody Marine Ltd the Bristol Channel sea bass fishery has entered full assessment. It is said that the certification body initially seeks to open a dialogue with all organisations or individuals with a direct interest in the fishery. The certification body has invited public comments or opinion regarding the assessment process but it should be relevant to the status of the stock, ecosystem interactions or fishery management practices.
Moody Marine informed that it has put forward nominations for the fishery assessment team that will be responsible for assessing the Bristol Channel sea bass fishery against the MSC Standard. The location of the fishery is ICES Area VIIf, East of 5º 30’ West. The method for fishing is Demersal Otter trawl.
EU legislation which prohibits the landing of sea bass below 36cm in length managed all fisheries for sea bass, including the recreational and part time fisheries. In the Cornwall and South Wales SFC districts the minimum landing size for bass is 37.5 cm. Under current EU legislation, a directed fishery for bass using a demersal otter trawl is subject to minimum mesh size restriction. It is said that bass are not subject to an EU or UK quota, therefore there are no current restrictions on the quantity. The main markets for sea bass caught in the Bristol Channel are the domestic market and other EU markets.
