Two thirds of the north-east Atlantic blue whiting fishery is now MSC certified with fishing organisations from Holland, the UK, Germany, France, Lithuania, Denmark and Ireland collaborating to make this possible.
The initiative was co-ordinated the Dutch Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association (PFA) and involved the Danish Pelagic Producers Organisation, Killybegs Fishermen´s Organisation Ltd in Ireland, the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group Ltd and Compagnie des Pêches de Saint Malo in France.
‘I am very pleased that the members of the five fisheries organisations have received MSC certification for the Northeast Atlantic Blue Whiting fishery. It once again underlines the long term commitment and cooperation of the EU pelagic fleets in ensuring sustainable fisheries management and selective fishing practices,’ said Gerard van Balsfoort of the Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association
The combined fleet of 72 fishing vessels pursue the same target stock of blue whiting, using pelagic trawl gear. Blue whiting makes up at least 99% of the average total catch composition of the client fleets.
Four of the certified fisheries sell mainly for human consumption including surimi (fish sticks) and fish pie fillings, while DPPO also supplies the fishmeal industry. There is an increasing demand for blue whiting in African and Chinese markets for human consumption.
Blue whiting stocks have been steadily increasing since 2011. The modern blue whiting fishery developed during the second half of the 1970s and the fishing grounds are well known from fishermen’s experience and scientific surveys. In 2013 the vessels included in this certification landed 73,000 tonnes. The agreed total allowable catch in 2013 for the northern area in the EU was 116,032 tonnes.
