Shetland shellfish fisheries start MSC assessment
SSMO's MSC assessment will be conducted by Food Certification International.
The Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO) has entered its brown crab, velvet crab, European lobster potting fishery and Shetland inshore scallop dredging fishery into assessment for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
The MSC assessment will cover all 121 vessels with a license for one or more of the target species and represents the main shellfish species caught within six nautical miles of the Shetland shore.
Landings into Shetland in 2007 were valued at the point of first sale at £2.1 million (€2.5 million/$3 million) for scallops, and around £850,000 (€992,452/$1.2 million) for velvet and brown crabs.
SSMO received financial support through the Leader programme for the fishery’s pre-assessment and from the retailer The Co-operative and the Sustainable Fisheries Fund of the Resources Legacy Fund to allow it to move to full assessment.
The assessment will be carried out by independent certifier Food Certification International (FCI).Images for this article - click to enlarge
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