Denmark – the Limfjord blue mussel and oyster dredge fisheries and the Limfjord rope-grown blue shell mussel fishery have entered marine Stewardship Council (MSC)[1] full assessment. If successful (and subject to traceability certification) mussels and oysters from the fisheries will be eligible to bear the MSC eco-label.
The Limfjord is a shallow inland sea in the north of Denmark. The Limfjords Kompagniet A/S/Royal Frysk Muscheln GmbH nominated vessels under assessment land approximately 320MT of oysters (Ostrea edulis) and around 57,000MT of mussels (Mytilus edulis) each year. The Limfjord mussel fisheries are important in Denmark – one of the main producers of processed mussels in Europe. The oyster fishery is relatively small and was only established after the North Sea broke through the western side of the Limfjord in 1825, raising its salinity to a point where the oysters could colonise the area.
The rope-grown mussel fishery is an enhanced fishery, entering under the new guidance for the assessment of enhanced fisheries [2]. It is a Habitat Modified (HM) and a Catch and Grow (CAG) fishery that uses ropes attached to the seabed to provide a surface for natural spat (young mussels) to grow on. The fishery is largely experimental at present and is expected to produce around 3,500MT of mussels in 2009.
Stephan Tack , Managing Director of Limfjord Company A/S, Denmark and Royal Frysk GmbH, Germany, says: “As both companies are receiving nearly all our mussel raw material from Limfjord, we are of course very concerned about our raw material resources. Consequently, we decided at the beginning of 2009 to enter MSC certification. We think this is an important issue for the future.”
MSC Northern Europe Manager, Camiel Derichs says: “I’m very excited to welcome the Limfjord blue mussel and oyster dredge fisheries and the Limfjord rope-grown blue shell mussel fishery into assessment. With the clarification allowing certain forms of enhanced fishery into the MSC programme, we are starting to see enhanced fisheries – like Limfjord rope-grown blue mussel come in. I wish the fisheries a speedy assessment and a successful outcome.”
