London, UK – 7th August 2008 – The Portuguese purse seine sardine fishery is seeking certification under the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) [1] certification and eco-labeling programme for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. This is the first Portuguese fishery to undergo a full scientific assessment for MSC certification and the third sardine fishery in the world to engage with the MSC’s leading environmental certification and eco-labelling programme.

The Portuguese Association of Purse Seine Producer Organisations (ANOPCERCO), [2] which represents 95% of the country’s sardine production (well over 50 000 metric tonnes annually), advised that the assessment will cover all of its larger coastal vessels (over 9 m long) whose main activity is purse seining.

Humberto Jorge, non executive President of the ANOPCERCO commented: “The fishermen felt it was essential to be part of the internationally recognized MSC certification programme. We believe we meet a number of the main criteria in order to achieve certification. As a national fishery, we have always strongly believed in continuous improvement and we embark on this journey in the same spirit. We recognize the MSC label is a great tool to communicate our environmental responsibility and we hope to use it to connect with the end consumer and help us secure the future of our fishery”. 

There has been a sardine fishery off the coasts of Portugal since Roman times and the species has been regularly fished for about 700 years. Steam-driven purse seiners started operating in Portuguese waters during the late nineteenth century and by the 1920s a large purse seine fleet had been developed. At its peak, in the 1960s, the fleet comprised between 350 and 400 vessels.

Portuguese sardines are mainly consumed fresh within Portugal and occasionally Spain. About a third of the national production is sent to canning factories, which are found in the centre and the north of the country, with about 50% of the canned sardines exported to markets around the world.
 Humberto Jorge further added:  “We have fished sardines off the coast of Portugal for centuries. Thanks to its good management, healthy levels of stocks have been maintained and jobs throughout the seafood supply chain have been secured in the fishing communities along the Portuguese coast. One of the key features of this fishery is to only use one gear type, the purse seine, which has minimal impacts on the environment. This has greatly contributed to safeguarding our resources.”

Rupert Howes, MSC’s Chief Executive, welcomes the fishery’s move and adds: “I am delighted that the Portuguese sardine fishery has applied for full assessment. I very much hope that this ancient and historically-significant fishery’s decision to move forward into full assessment will encourage other Portuguese fisheries to also consider entering into the assessment process. If certified, the fishery would be the first Portuguese fishery to earn the right to use the MSC label in a global market that is increasingly demanding credible third party confirmation of the sustainability of their seafood choices. We very much hope that this will provide new and exciting marketing opportunities and to an increase in the availability of MSC labeled sustainable seafood in both the Portuguese market and throughout Europe and beyond.”

An independent evaluation of the Portuguese sardine fishery will be conducted by a team of experts who will examine the status of the fish stock, the effect fishing has on the marine environment and the effectiveness of the fishery management system. Moody Marine Limited, a UK-based certification company, has been contracted to assess the fishery. The independent assessment is expected to take 12 months. Stakeholders are invited to participate in the assessment process and can contact Moody Marine via the MSC website (www.msc.org)

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact Anyes Estay, Marine Stewardship Council on +44 (0)207 811 314 or email anyes.estay@msc.org

[1] Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): 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.
The MSC has offices in London, Seattle, Tokyo, Sydney, The Hague, Edinburgh and Berlin. In total, over 120 fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme with 31 certified, 74 under assessment and another 20 to 30 in confidential pre-assessment. Together the fisheries record annual catches of over 5 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 1,600 seafood products resulting from the certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label. For more information, please visit www.msc.org

 [2] ANOPCERCO (Associação Nacional das Organizações dos Produtores da Pesca do Cerco): the Portuguese Association of Purse Seine Producer Organisations was created in 1997. Its main objective is to ensure the sustainable management of its natural resources.