Following a nine-month assessment process, the Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) has been awarded MSC certification for its Russian Western Bering Sea pollock fishery.
Lloyd’s Register assessed the midwater trawl pollock fishery in the Navarinsky area of the Bering Sea (West Bering Sea zone east of the 174th meridian) for compliance with the MSC Fisheries Standard, the stock status of the target species, the environmental impacts, and the effectiveness of the fisheries management system.
“We are proud to obtain MSC certification for our second largest pollock fishery. Successful certification was preceded by intensive improvement work by PCA,” said Alexey Buglak, president of the Pollock Catchers Association.
“This included targeted scientific surveys to estimate the midwater trawl fishery’s impact on marine mammals and birds, and enhancement of the observer programme’s collection of pollock and non-target by-catch data. It is important for this work to continue and as part of this the PCA have developed an action plan to meet the conditions prescribed by the certification.”
The Pollock Catchers Association is one of the largest associations in the Russian fishing industry, bringing together 32 companies that employ more than 12,000 people and operate a hundred fishing and processing vessels which between them account for catches of around 1.8 million tonnes annually.
PCA members primarily fish for pollock in Far Eastern waters. PCA enterprises account for over 75% of the pollock catch in Russia (about 1.4 million tonnes in 2020) and about 40% of the worldwide pollock catch.
In September 2013, the PCA obtained MSC certification for the midwater trawl pollock fishery in its key region, the Sea of Okhotsk. In 2018, this fishery was successfully re-certified, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and well-managed fishing operations. In March 2021, the scope was also extended to include certification of East Sakhalin pollock.
“We congratulate the PCA with this milestone. The Western Bering Sea Pollock fishery has been working towards MSC certification for many years. As part of this it has delivered necessary improvements to demonstrate compliance with the MSC Fisheries Standard. Its improvement journey will no doubt continue as part of the MSC programme,” commented Marine Stewardship Council CEO Rupert Howes.
“The PCA is required to deliver four improvements as a condition of certification, and progress against these will need to be verified by third party auditors throughout the timespan of the certification. These relate to further strengthening the management of non-target species.”
The certification of the Western Bering Sea Pollock fishery adds 300,000 tonnes of MSC certified pollock to the PCA total, which, together with Sea of Okhotsk, now adds up to 1,200,000 tonnes of MSC-eligible pollock overall. These certified fisheries now represent over 65% of the overall Russian pollock catch.
“As the world’s largest buyer of certified Alaska pollock, we have a key role to play in ensuring the health of fish stocks and ocean habitats,” commented Stuart Caborn, Chief Procurement Officer at Nomad Foods.
“We welcome the MSC certification of the West Bering Sea Alaska Pollock Fishery as another important step in ensuring more fisheries around the world, improve their practices so we can provide consumers with more sustainably sourced fish products.”
