Atlantic dogfish fishery operates in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone of the Atlantic Ocean. It will be assessed by an independent certifier against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. If successful, products from this fishery will be eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel. This fishery includes the harvest of spiny dogfish in federal waters and the waters of seven states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina) using three gear types including gillnet, longline, and otter trawl.
Stephen Barndollar, speaking for the U.S. North Atlantic Spiny Dogfish Association expressed that after successful completion of the assessment they will be able to demonstrate to their customers in Europe that the U.S. Atlantic spiny dogfish fishery is sustainable and well-managed. Kerry Coughlin, the Americas regional director for the MSC, said that because spiny dogfish is long-lived and slower to reproduce than many species, it can be especially vulnerable to overfishing. He added that products derived from spiny dogfish are popular in Europe, where there is increased demand for MSC-certified products.
