The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) North Sea herring fishery has been certified as a sustainable and well-managed fishery under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard. The herring fishery is the first Scottish pelagic fishery to be certified and, with half a dozen local processors already holding MSC’s Chain of Custody traceability certification, consumers across Europe will soon be able to buy Scottish herring and herring products bearing the coveted MSC eco-label.
SPSG Secretary, Derek Duthie commented on the fishery’s certification: “We are pleased that the SPSG has been successful in bringing together all Scottish fishermen and processors in a cooperative project, to achieve MSC certification. This fishery is the first large-scale fishery in the UK to comply with the exacting MSC standard. This is a notable achievement for the Scottish pelagic industry and underlines our commitment to sustainable fisheries,” he said.
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC said: “The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group led the recent influx of Scottish fisheries into the MSC programme and I am delighted to see their herring fishery certified. This is a significant fishery both in size and location and the certification means that international consumers will soon be able to buy Scottish-caught and processed MSC certified herring and kippers . I am looking forward to barbecuing MSC Scottish herring in the very near future.”
The fishery assessment was carried out by recently-accredited independent certifier Food Certification International. The certificate will be formally presented at an event in Peterhead at the beginning of August.
The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group was established in 2007 and represents all sectors of Scotland’s pelagic industry, from catching and processing, to marketing. It encompasses the whole Scottish pelagic fleet and members include: Herring Buyers Association, Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation Ltd, Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association Limited, Shetland Catch Ltd and Shetland Fish Producers’ Organisation Ltd, with Seafood Scotland taking the role of Secretariat. SPSG was established specifically to oversee the certification of North Sea herring and Western mackerel as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard.
