The Dutch parliament voted to amend the government’s 2010 budget to make an additional 500,000 euros available for fishery assessment and certification. The decision means that The Netherlands have now allocated a total of €1.5m towards fishery certification.
In 2008, the Dutch demersal fleet committed itself to MSC certification as part of a Memorandum of Understanding with WWF, North Sea Foundation and the Fisheries Minister.
The additional funding will be made available through the European Fisheries Fund budget.
The budget amendment follows a proposal from a coalition of MPs representing all three of the parties that form the Dutch coalition government: Ad Koppejan MP (Christian Democratic Appeal), Lutz Jacobi MP (Dutch Labour party) and Ernst Cramer MP (Christian Union).
What MP Ad Koppejan says
Ad Koppejan MP says: “The €1m we have already made available for fishery certification proved to be an enormous success. There were too many applications for the available funding and some applicants were eliminated by lottery. This is a clear indication of the commitment of the Dutch fleet to sustainable fishing. We thought it only appropriate that those fisheries that were turned down should get further support to be assessed in recognition of their commitment to independently verified sustainable fishing.”
What the MSC says
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC added: “The Dutch government has shown once again its strategic commitment to sustainable fisheries. This is wonderful news and I would like to thank Mr Koppejan, Ms Jacobi, and Mr Cramer for their environmental leadership.”
