The Dutch Fisheries Minister, Mrs Gerda Verburg, in her letter to the Dutch Parliament acknowledges that the MSC is the only internationally recognised ecolabel for sustainable well-managed fisheries that is completely consistent with the FAO Guidelines. The letter states that the Dutch government will only support certification processes that are based on third party certification.
The acknowledgment means that the certification has to comply with criteria from independent and impartial experts and also have to comply with the FAO ‘Guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries’. The MSC labelling programme that is known within the industry is an example of a certification programme that meets these criteria.
Till recently the MSC is the only internationally recognised ecolabel for sustainable well-managed fisheries that is completely consistent with the FAO Guidelines. The letter of Verburg also states that the starting point of the MSC certification is that the fishery is carried out in such a way that the natural functioning of the ecosystem is maintained, that the fishery is carried out in such a way that it does not jeopardize biodiversity and that, should an impact on the ecosystem have occurred, recovery must be able to place.
The Netherlands commit to sustainable fishing as it follows series of commitments for a sustainable fishing. Among other the Dutch government, Dutch fisheries industry and NGOs joined together in a landmark commitment to start the journey towards MSC certification for the Dutch demersal fisheries that make up over 90 percent of the landings at the Dutch auctions.
