The Faroe Islands queen scallop fishery has entered full assessment under the Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. If it is successful, scallops from the fishery will be allowed to display the MSC eco-label.
The Faroe Islands queen scallop fishery is fished by one vessel – the M/V Nordheim owned by the OC Joensen Company. The fishery catches a total around 5,000 tonnes of scallops each year from two separate stocks to the north and east of the Faroe Islands respectively. The eastern fishery operates from August to February to avoid the July spawning season and northern fishery only fishes from March to August.
Jógvan Martin F. Joensen from the OC Joensen company says: “Apart from offering a good product, which is a wild, slow-growing, cold water queen scallop, we believe that our scallop is also caught in a sustainable and controlled way, both with regards to the species itself and considering the environment in which it lives. However, this must be communicated to the customers and to the end users of the product in a proper way so they have an opportunity to consider the sustainability when they choose which product to buy or use. We think the best option is the MSC logo, which is widely recognised and can be seen very clearly on the finished product.”
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the Marine Stewardship Council says: “I am delighted to welcome the Faroe Islands queen scallop fishery into full assessment. This is the first North Atlantic scallop fishery to enter full assessment and I am sure that retailers and the increasing number of restaurants certified for MSC Chain of Custody will be very interested in this fishery’s progress through the assessment process. I hope this will be the 1st Faroe Islands fishery of many to apply for MSC certification.”
