What MP Ad Koppejan says
Ad Koppejan MP says: “The €1m we have already made available for fishery certification proved to be an enormous success. There were too many applications for the available funding and some applicants were eliminated by lottery. This is a clear indication of the commitment of the Dutch fleet to sustainable fishing. We thought it only appropriate that those fisheries that were turned down should get further support to be assessed in recognition of their commitment to independently verified sustainable fishing.”
What the MSC says
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC added: “The Dutch government has shown once again its strategic commitment to sustainable fisheries. This is wonderful news and I would like to thank Mr Koppejan, Ms Jacobi, and Mr Cramer for their environmental leadership. Under last year’s €1m budget, ten Dutch fisheries have already been notified of their successful grant application towards MSC certification. The Dutch blue shell mussel fishery was the first of these to enter assessment earlier this week and I look forward to welcoming the other nine fisheries in to the programme as well as the successful applicants under the new regulation.”
