A new milestone has been reached for sustainable jack mackerel fishing in the South Pacific with the certification of the European South-Pacific Jack Mackerel Fishery to MSC fisheries standard.
The European South Pacific midwater otter trawl jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) fishery is made up of three trawlers from Germany, Lithuania and Poland. The vessels of this pelagic fleet are home to the Dutch Parlevliet & Van der Plas group and the Icelandic Samherji HF.
Hans Nieuwenhuis, director Northern Europe at Marine Stewardship Council, said: that achieving MSC certification was an important milestone for the Parlevliet & Van der Plas and Samherhji groups. “It gives independent recognition of the sound management of this fishery and allows for credible claims of sustainability. It means that the target stock is in a healthy condition; that the impact of fishing activities on the ecosystem is minimal, and that the fishery is well managed,” he said.
The fleet of three vessels is active in the south-eastern Pacific under South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) management. These catch an allocated quota for Jack mackerel in international waters, outside the exclusive economic zone of Chile and Peru, landing it in Talcahuano and San Vicente, Chile.
The fishery is certified to March 2025 and will undergo annual audits to ensure it continues to meet the MSC fisheries standard.
