The Producers’ Organisation of the Dutch Fishermen’s Association (DFA) razor clam fishery has entered full assessment for Marine Stewardship Council certification.
The DFA razor clam fishery will be the first fishery to be assessed against MSC’s policy guidelines for introduced species.
The assessment will be part-funded by a certification grant from the Dutch Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation, as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to supporting Dutch fisheries seeking certification.
Derk Jan Berends of the DFA says: “This fishery has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, fishing under the strict regulations of our organisation’s management plan and the Nature Conservation Act. We are very pleased that with MSC’s new policy guidelines we now finally have the opportunity to have our fisheries management independently assessed against the MSC standard for sustainable fisheries.”
The DFA razor clam fishery takes place in the south-western and northern coastal waters of The Netherlands. There are eight licences for the fishery on razor clams, four of which are in use. The vessels operate suction dredges and catch approximately 3,500mt fresh weight. This is 44% of the 2010 total allowable national catch (8,000mt). The razor clams mainly go to the Spanish and Italian markets.
