The Portuguese purse seine sardine fishery is seeking Marine Stewardship Council certification.
This is the first Portuguese fishery to undergo a full scientific assessment for MSC certification and the third sardine fishery in the world to engage with the MSC’s programme.
The Portuguese Association of Purse Seine Producer Organisations (ANOPCERCO), which represents 95% of the country’s sardine production (well over 50,000 metric tonnes annually), advised that the assessment will cover all of its larger coastal vessels (over 9m long) whose main activity is purse seining.
Humberto Jorge, non executive President of the ANOPCERCO commented: “The fishermen felt it was essential to be part of the internationally recognised MSC certification programme. We believe we meet a number of the main criteria in order to achieve certification. As a national fishery, we have always strongly believed in continuous improvement and we embark on this journey in the same spirit. We recognise the MSC label is a great tool to communicate our environmental responsibility and we hope to use it to connect with the end consumer and help us secure the future of our fishery”.
There has been a sardine fishery off the coasts of Portugal since Roman times and the species has been regularly fished for about 700 years. Steam-driven purse seiners started operating in Portuguese waters during the late nineteenth century and by the 1920s a large purse seine fleet had been developed. At its peak, in the 1960s, the fleet comprised between 350 and 400 vessels.
Portuguese sardines are mainly consumed fresh within Portugal and occasionally Spain. About a third of the national production is sent to canning factories, which are found in the centre and the north of the country, with about 50% of the canned sardines exported to markets around the world.
Humberto Jorge further added: “We have fished sardines off the coast of Portugal for centuries. Thanks to its good management, healthy levels of stocks have been maintained and jobs throughout the seafood supply chain have been secured in the fishing communities along the Portuguese coast. One of the key features of this fishery is to only use one gear type, the purse seine, which has minimal impacts on the environment. This has greatly contributed to safeguarding our resources.”
The independent assessment is expected to take 12 months and will be carried out by Moody Marine Limited.
