Argentine hoki fishery seeks MSC certification

07 June 2001

The hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae magellanicus) trawl fishery operating in the Argentine Economic Exclusive Zone and adjacent waters entered full assessment to be considered for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.  It is the second South American fishery to officially seek MSC certification. If successful, this hoki fishery will be eligible to use the MSC ecolabel, which indicates fish from a sustainable and well-managed fishery.

About the Argentine hoki fishery

The government management bodies overseeing the fishery are the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and Fisheries dependencies (sub-secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture), and the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP). The client group applying for MSC certification consists of five Argentine fishing companies which are responsible for more than 50 percent of the total Argentine hoki annual catch.  The companies are Pespasa-Pesantar, Estremar, San Arawa, Yuken and Grupo Valastro.

Primary products produced from Argentine hoki are frozen fish, filet and surimi.  Products are mostly exported to Japan, France, Germany, England and Spain.

What the fishery says

Daniel Rivera, the representative of the client group, said, “We believe this is the right moment. The sustainable fishing conditions present a clear opportunity to achieve the final evaluation and certification of the hoki fishery, as well as support our commitment to continue expanding to other species.”

What the MSC says

MSC Americas Regional Director Kerry Coughlin said, “We are pleased to welcome a second Argentine fishery into the assessment process for certification to the MSC standard. We are encouraged by the participation of South American fisheries like Argentinean hoki that are expanding the MSC program into new regions of the world, paving the way for more fisheries in the region to similarly demonstrate a  commitment to sustainable fishing.”

About the certifier

Organización Internacional Agropecuaria (OIA) has been contracted by the fishery client group to conduct the independent, third-party assessment, which is expected to take 12 months to complete.  OIA will convene a team of scientific experts to assess the fishery against the three core principles of the MSC’s standard for sustainable and well managed fisheries:  the sustainability of the fish stock, its impact on the environment and the management system in place.

Further information

For media inquiries please contact media@msc.org.

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