The Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation has entered its brown crab, velvet crab, European lobster potting fishery and Shetland inshore scallop dredging fishery into assessment for MSC certification. If successful, products from the fishery will be eligible to carry the MSC ecolabel.
The assessment will cover all of the 121 vessels with a license for one or more of the target species and represents the main shellfish species caught within 6 nautical miles (around 7 miles) of the Shetland shore. The inshore shellfish fishery in Shetland is of great historical, cultural and above all, currently economic and social importance. For example, landings in 2007 into Shetland were valued at the point of first sale at £2.1m for scallops, and around £0.85m for velvet and brown crabs.
The SSMO received financial support through the LEADER programme for the fishery’s pre- assessment and from both The Co-operative and the Sustainable Fisheries Fund of the Resources Legacy Fund to allow it to move to full assessment.
Support from The Co-operative
In 2008, The Co-operative committed £200,000 to support the certification of UK fisheries to the MSC standard. Kirstie Pollard, Environment Adviser at The Co-operative, said: “As a responsible retailer, we want to ensure that our fish are sourced sustainably, and that is why we are funding new UK fisheries, like these four species through MSC certification.”
Jennifer Mouat of the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation said “We are very pleased to have taken this next step into full assessment. We recognise that well-managed fisheries are key to the long term future of the industry as well as being a cornerstone of island communities such as Shetland. This is an opportunity for us to measure ourselves against MSC’s high standards for well-managed and sustainable fisheries and look to the future possibilities which this will bring.”
MSC welcomes pioneers
Claire Pescod, Scottish Fisheries Outreach Office for the MSC says: “The SSMO’s pioneering work in bringing their inshore shellfish fisheries into full assessment is a first for Scottish shellfish. These are the first Scottish crab and lobster fisheries in the MSC programme and, I hope that their lead will inspire other fisheries to follow them. This is another great example of the positive steps Scottish fisheries are taking to showcase their sustainability and I would like to take the opportunity to thank The Co-operative and SSF for their support.”
