Two Norwegian fisheries have applied to be assessed for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. If successful the Norwegian Spring spawning herring fishery and Norwegian North East Atlantic mackerel fishery will be to display the distinctive blue MSC eco-label on their catch.
“Recently an initiative was taken by the Norwegian Fishing Industry to undergo a full assessment of both Atlanto-Scandic fisheries for herring and mackerel to be caught by Norwegian fishermen in the forthcoming season. The aim of the assessment is to have these fisheries certified under the MSC- standard,” says Knut Torgnes, Sales Director of Norges Sildesalgslag (Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organisation for Pelagic Fish).
“The MSC is working to safeguard the world’s seafood supply by promoting the best environmental choices, and an MSC-certification is an assurance that fish bearing the MSC label are caught from sustainable resources in a way which is not detrimental either to the species or the environment in general. “
“A similar assessment has already been initiated for North Sea herring.”
Dr Andrew Hough from Moody Marine says, “Moody Marine has recently increased our fishery auditor capacity, including fishery auditors based in Scandinavia. As a result, we aim to undertake the assessment for the spring-spawning herring and mackerel fisheries in around 9 months. There are some particular issues to address, however, including some overlap in scope between the Norwegian mackerel fishery and other mackerel fisheries already certified and under assessment. This will require a harmonisation of the assessments.”
Chris Ninnes, Director of Operation of the MSC says: “I’m delighted that these Norwegian herring and mackerel fisheries have entered full assessment. Certification could pay great dividends for this fishery as consumers across Northern Europe increasingly demand MSC-eco-labelled seafood. I hope that the increased auditor capacity at Moody Marine will help to reduce the time for this assessment – something that will benefit everyone in the MSC programme.”
