New Scottish fisheries move for eco-label

Scottish haddock and nephrops fisheries apply for MSC certification

London, 17 January 2008 - More Scottish fisheries have applied for assessment under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) [1] environmental standard for sustainable fishing. The Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA) [2] North Sea haddock and nephrops (also known as langoustine or Dublin Bay prawns fisheries) will be independently assessed by Moody Marine Ltd. If successful, products from the fisheries - which could include the first MSC Scottish fish and chips and scampi - will be allowed to display the coveted MSC eco-label showing that they come from a sustainable and well-managed fishery.

Haddock and nephrops are two of the most valuable fish in the North Sea for Scottish fishermen. In 2007, the haddock fishery landed fish with a value of around £27.9 million and in 2005, the nephrops fishery landed 15,535 tonnes valued at £38.7 million.

George MacRae from SWFPA says: “SWFPA, with the support of The Scottish Government Marine Directorate (SGMD), Seafood Scotland, Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation, The Food and Drink Federation, Aberdeenshire Council and other organisations representing fishing interests both on and offshore consider that the assessment of two of the most important fish stocks to Scottish fishermen is vital for the future credibility of the industry. MSC accreditation for such stocks will not only answer many of the issues raised particularly by environmentalists in respect of commercial fishing but will also underpin a significant amount of conservation and stock regeneration work undertaken by SWFPA. In addition this accreditation will enhance the marketability of these two top quality fish stocks and enable their nutritional benefit be opened to a much wider range of consumers. SWFPA will also continue to pilot and promote initiatives for commercial fishing as the Association strives to deliver the balanced equation of matching sufficient quota to catch and sufficient time to catch such quota with sensible conservation and stock regeneration issues that are environmentally friendly.”

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC, comments: “I am delighted to welcome the SWFPA North Sea haddock and nephrops fisheries into full MSC assessment. This significant development further demonstrates the Scottish fishing industry's commitment to sustainable fishing. Given the value, tonnage and diversity of species now under assessment in Scotland, the Scottish fishing industry is increasingly well placed to take a leading position in meeting the growing demand for certified sustainable seafood from seafood buyers and consumers around the world.”

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Further information:
Marnie Bammert, MSC Communications Officer, tel. +44 (0) 20 7811 3314 or +44 (0) 7917 821 207, email: marnie.bammert (at) msc.org.
James Simpson, MSC Communications Officer, tel. +44 (0) 20 7811 3315, email: james.simpson (at) msc.org.

Notes to Editors:
[1] The MSC is an international non-profit organisation that was set up in 1997 to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC runs the only widely recognised environmental certification and eco-labelling programme for wild capture fisheries. It is the only seafood eco-label that is consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and UN FAO guidelines for fisheries certification. The FAO ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries’, require that credible fishery certification and eco-labelling schemes include:
- Objective, third-party fishery assessment utilising scientific evidence;
- Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures;
- Standards based on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices.

In total, over 90 fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme with 26 certified, 54 under assessment and another 20 to 30 in confidential pre-assessment. The new SWFPA North Sea haddock and nephrops fisheries are counted as seven fisheries since they are divided into seven different units of certification.

Together the fisheries in the MSC programme record annual catches of over 4 million tonnes of seafood. They represent over 42 percent of the world’s wild salmon catch, 40 percent of the world’s prime whitefish catch, and 18 percent of the world’s lobster catches for human consumption. Worldwide, over 1,200 seafood products resulting from the certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label. For more information, please visit www.msc.org

[2] In 2007, 70 percent of the total Scottish demersal stock, i.e. cod, haddock, prawns etc, by value and 50 percent of the UK value total of these stocks was caught by members of SWFPA. 70 to 75 percent of all UK commercial fishing activity is based in Scotland and SWFPA is the largest Association of fishing activity in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. Please visit www.swfpa.org.uk for further information.