The Scotian shelf shrimp fishery entered into assessment by three processors - Northsyde Processing Limited, L''Association Coopérative des Pêcheurs de l''Ile Ltée, and Produits Belle Baie Ltée - has earned Marine Stewardship Council certification.
Scotian shelf shrimp is sold as cooked and peeled northern shrimp or prawns primarily in the United Kingdom, northern Europe and parts of North America. The fishery operates in Shrimp Fishing Areas (SFA) 13, 14 and 15 on the Scotian shelf off eastern Nova Scotia with an annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) that has averaged 5,000mt in recent years.
Harvesting of shrimp is open year-round, however, the majority of harvesting takes place from April to October. Vessels use otter trawls with a Nordmore groundfish separator grate installed to reduce bycatch to almost negligible levels (<2%).
The three companies involved can now help meet demand for MSC-certified northern shrimp in the marketplace. This supply is in addition to existing MSC-certified northern shrimp products coming from this area under a different certificate.
Jim Kennedy, president of Northsyde Processing Limited, a division of Louisbourg Seafoods Limited, says: “We are very pleased to be able to provide MSC-certified shrimp to markets that are demanding MSC certification. The fishery here is well-managed and through this achievement we are proud to be able to demonstrate to the market that our practices are sustainable.”
