Two Canadian MSC certified fisheries, the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GOSL) northern shrimp and the Gulf of St. Lawrence northern shrimp trawl Esquiman Channel fisheries, have joined in a cooperative effort into one combined shrimp fishery that has earned MSC re-certification.

The four shrimp fishing zones in the Gulf of St. Lawrence covered by the MSC certificate are SFA 8 (Esquiman), SFA 9 (Anticosti), SFA 10 (Sept-iles) and SFA 12 (Estuary).

The cooperative effort distributes costs of the assessment and of maintaining the certificate among the fishery clients of the previously separate certifications. Participating companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and New Brunswick expect to realise additional savings over the five-year life of the second certificate for these fisheries.

The fleet of the combined Gulf of St. Lawrence shrimp fishery consists of 140 vessels. Sustainability and management controls include quota limits for each area and a specialised trawl separator grate that eliminates unwanted bycatch and ensures the harvest does not deplete other stocks.

The initial certification independent assessments included conditions for the fisheries to obtain a study examining the abundance and diversity of marine life living in the benthic sediment and how they may be affected by trawl gear. The re-certification includes a condition to implement improvement actions identified in the study along with the cooperation of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to ensure limited impact on the benthic biodiversity and on elements of the ecosystem.

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