The Kyoto Danish Seine Fishery Federation (KDSFF) has won the 20th Global Environmental Award from Japanese media group, Fiji-Sankei Group, and WWF Japan. The award was given in recognition of their continuous efforts towards sustainable management of fisheries. It is the first time the award has been given to a fishery and is based on the KDSFF’s work to achieve MSC certification of its snowcrab and flathead flounder fisheries.
According to the information this award was established in 1992and has previously been given to several leading Japanese companies. This year, the judges commented on the KDSFF’s innovative achievement as the first MSC certification in Asia and also valued their continuous commitment and efforts for sustainable fisheries.
KDSFF operated in the area where the snow crab and flathead flounder were largely found. But they were in decline in the 1980s and so KDSFF started considering how they could manage the resource more sustainably. They created protected areas and limited the number and size of fish caught, based on scientific research data. As a result, the number of snow crab recovered and led the fishery to MSC certification.
