Rems Cramer, skipper of the KW2, together with a crew member haul and pick Dover sole out of the gill net. It is informed that the Dutch Fisheries Organisation’s gill net fishery for Dover sole has passed its assessment for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
According to the certification body the process follows a rigorous 12-month independent assessment, which was commissioned by the Dutch Fisheries Organisation. The gill net fishery operates in the Dutch coastal waters. Fishing takes place between the months of March and October targeting the larger fish that come inshore at this time.
There are sixty mostly small vessels are involved in the fishery. Dover sole makes up two thirds of the landings from this fishery that yields 200 tonnes of sole annually. It is informed that the DFO Dover sole gill net fishery operates under a voluntary management plan and recently the Dutch government incorporated elements of this management plan in a new regulatory framework for the gill net fishery, capping access to the fishery and fishing effort.
Derk Jan Berends of the DFO told that the earning the desired MSC-certificate represents proof to the Dutch gill net fishermen for Dover sole, that science has judged their fishery as sustainable. He added that limiting the number of vessels and the number of nets in the coastal zone is an important precondition the fishermen have enforced on themselves. The fishermen also participate actively in research. MSC certification contributes to a positive image of the gill net fishery for Dover sole; it would be great if the market would reward this initiative as well by means of better prices.
Rupert Howes, CEO MSC, opined that it is tremendously encouraging to see another Dutch fishery achieve MSC certification following the establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Dutch industry, the environmental NGOs and the government to bring all Dutch North Sea demersal fisheries in the MSC programme by 2012.
