Canada''s 4VWX purse seine herring fishery in the Bay of Fundy area has become the third and largest Canadian herring fishery to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
Certification means that herring products from the purse seine vessels and processing companies based in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick can now carry the blue MSC label to inform customers the fishery meets a global standard for sustainability.
“We are proud of the work our fishery has undertaken together with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to maintain the health of this important Canadian resource” said Roger Stirling, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia, the client representative for the 4VWX herring fishery.
He added: “As one of the longest-running commercial fisheries in Canada the herring fishery and associated processing companies have demonstrated the ability to sustain the resource. The MSC certification now allows us to clearly signal the fishery’s sustainability to global markets.”
Purse seining produces low bycatch levels when harvesting the dense schools of herring that form during specific seasons. The fishing vessels harvest at night and return to shore for immediate processing. Annual catch for the fishery is 50,000 metric tonnes.
In addition to providing employment for fishers, herring plants in the local area employ hundreds of people in coastal communities and significantly contribute to the rural and coastal economy in the area.
A versatile fish, 4VWX herring is destined for primary markets around the world where it is sold in various forms like frozen fillets (Europe and North America), marinated and sauced canned products (Europe), smoked (kippers, in North America), canned (global), roe (Japan) and bait (Canada, for MSC certified lobster fisheries).
