The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group’s (SPSG) West of Scotland herring fishery will be MSC certified at a ceremony in Brussels tomorrow (25 April).
Herring harvested from this fishery will now be eligible to bear the MSC eco-label so that consumers can make informed choices when purchasing herring.
Since 2009 the Scottish pelagic industry has secured MSC certification for all its main fisheries, and tomorrow’s presentation will be the third herring fishery to achieve this prized eco-label certification. The award will be presented to SPSG by EC Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Seafood Scotland stand at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels.
SPSG pelagic trawlers fitted with the latest refrigerated seawater tank systems harvest West of Scotland herring along the north coast of Scotland and out to the west of the Hebrides. The UK is the largest stakeholder in this fishery at 59% and has a quota of 13,400t for 2012. The fishery takes place during the summer months, but mostly in August.
SPSG Chairman, John Goodlad, said: “This final certification is very important for the Scottish pelagic industry. Not only does it mean that 98% of Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group’s catches of almost 220,000t is now MSC certified, but it is also illustrative of the incredible journey the pelagic industry has travelled over the past seven years.”
