Cornish fishermen are showing their commitment to sustainable fishing as they announce the start of their assessment for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel for the Cornish gill-net hake fishery.
Hake has been targeted by Cornish fishermen for many years now and, following the implementation of a careful management plan, put in place in 2001, hake stocks have recovered to nearly double their low point.
“We are proud of how the industry has responded to the challenge of working with scientists to better understand the state of fish stocks and where action has been needed to improve stocks it has been taken. What better way to demonstrate that than going through MSC assessment,” said Paul Trebilcock, CEO of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO), which is leading the move for certification.
In 2009, Cornish fishermen caught over 300 tonnes of hake worth over half a million pounds (around €570,000). Traditionally over 80% of this would have been exported to Spain but in more recent years Spain too has suffered with the global recession and has turned to cheaper imports resulting in a very challenging market for the high-quality, tasty fish.
Nathan de Rozarieux, from Seafood Cornwall also welcomed the move, “We hope that by meeting what is widely accepted to be the gold standard in fisheries eco-labelling that the Cornish industry will be able to develop higher value and higher volume markets for Cornish hake in the UK,” he said.
The Co-operative has set up a £200,000 fund to help support fisheries complete the Marine MSC certification process. The Cornish gill-net hake fishery is the fourth fishery in the South West to be supported through the MSC assessment process by the Co-Operative Group.
