The Kutterfisch-Zentrale saithe fishery has been recertified to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards, five years after becoming the first German fishing business to receive the sustainability award.
As part of the recertification process, Kutterfisch-Zentrale implemented a new action plan for the North Sea saithe fishery, which also addressed the issue of cod bycatch.
“The certifier made us take this condition seriously and we complied with it – thanks to modifications to our fishing gear,” said Kai-Arne Schmidt, managing director, Kutterfisch-Zentrale.
Kutterfisch-Zentrale has an official cod quota of 10% of its total catch, but the conditions attached to the certification required the company to reduce its cod bycatch to below 5%, since the species in the North Sea was low at the time.
“Thanks to the conditions that certifiers impose, fisheries have been able to bring about some measurable and important improvements, for example bigger stock sizes, lower bycatches and protected areas. We warmly congratulate Kutterfisch-Zentrale on having been awarded an unconditional MSC certificate,” added Marnie Bammert, deputy director Europe, MSC.
Based in Cuxhaven, the company catches and processes 10,800 tonnes of saithe per year using semi-pelagic bottom trawls, which are lighter and conventional bottom trawls and do not touch the sea bed as often.
