Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) is all gear up to assess the EURONOR fleet [1], French saithe fishery under its environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed wild capture fisheries. It is informed that six EURONOR fishing vessels target saithe which comes mainly from the northern North sea stock, but also the Norwegian sea. In addition, these vessels make up almost the entire French fleet targeting saithe and represent over 90 percent of the French quota.
Patrice Leduc, President of EURONOR, pointed out that EURONOR was set up jointly by two large family-owned fishing fleets committed to ensuring responsible fishing to safeguard seafood supplies. That’s why the MSC certification is a company-wide project profoundly rooted in our family traditions.
Leduc also said that they considered several certification programmes and seafood ecolabels and we decided to opt for MSC for a number of reasons : including its scientifically robust approach and its international recognition. Moreover, MSC is fast becoming a necessity in the highly competitive markets in which we operate. Nicolas Guichoux, MSC Regional Director – Europe, has commented that the entry of EURONOR in the MSC programme is a milestone for the MSC in France. He opined if EURONOR achieves certification, MSC certified saithe from this fishery would be available in France by 2010.
Edouard Le Bart, the MSC Commercial Manager for France noted if successful, the certification of this fishery will enable us to meet a growing demand for MSC products in the fresh and frozen markets.
