Canadian Atlantic halibut fishery has entered full assessment in the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) certification program for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. If successful, the products of this fishery will be eligible to use the blue MSC ecolabel. The assessment considers all Atlantic halibut caught by Canadian harvesters in Northwest Atlantic Fishing Organization (NAFO) fishing zones 3NOPs, 4VWX and 5Zc in Atlantic Ocean waters using demersal long lines, demersal trawls and gill nets.
Atlantic Halibut Council maintains the fishery but it is managed by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans with a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 1,700 metric tons in 2010. Bruce Chapman, executive director of the Atlantic Halibut Council, said that they have made great efforts to rebuild this resource over the past 10-15 years, and are very pleased to now be in a position to apply for MSC certification.
Kerry Coughlin, the Americas regional director for the MSC, informed that halibut is prime whitefish with high demand in many markets and we are pleased to see the first Atlantic halibut fishery entering the MSC program.
