The Bristol Channel’s sea bass fishery has started the independent assessment that – if successful – will allow it to carry the blue Marine Stewardship Council ecolabel identifying it as a sustainable and well -managed fishery.
The North Devon Fishermen's Association (NDFA) operates a trawler fleet that has been fishing for sea bass in the Bristol Channel for over 30 years. The NDFA includes boats that are both under and over 10m trawlers, catching an average of 40 tonnes of bass each year, reaching 59 tonnes last year.
John Butterwith is Chief Executive of the NDFA and has caught sea bass in the Bristol Channel since 1982: “Since that time, the number of north Devon boats has increased, along with the importance of the bass fishery. The Association is widely acclaimed for its conservation measures, having both voluntarily no-trawling areas for six months of the year, and the use of larger mesh nets when targeting bass to allow the release of juvenile fish.
As a fishermen's association, we could not have moved forward from the pre-assessment of the fishery without the very generous support from the Co-op Group who have demonstrated their commitment to what we believe is a high quality and sustainable fishery. We are now part of a number of West country fishermen, who through the MSC, aim to demonstrate that our fish is sustainable.”
The Cooperative Group is sponsoring the sea bass fishery through its assessment. Chris Shearlock, Sustainability Manager at The Co-operative Group, 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 through the MSC certification. Our vision is for healthy, productive and diverse UK seas with successful sustainable fisheries ensuring both the marine environment and UK fishing industry have a long term future."
