Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the Danish Pelagic Producers Organisation North East Atlantic mackerel fishery scored in assessment against the MSC standard. For the certifiers evaluation please download the full public certification report with detailed information on the performance of this fishery against the criteria of the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified: 

Sustainability strengths

Some points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below. 

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• The stock is highly likely to be above the point at which recruitment would be impaired. Fishing mortality is well below the point at which recruitment overfishing would occur.
  
• Reference points are appropriate and have been carefully calculated or estimated based on reasonable and justifiable assumptions.  The biomass limit reference point is well above the lowest SSB observed in the time series and there is no evidence of any impaired recruitment over that period.
  
• A robust stock assessment procedure is in place.  The stock has been subject to annual assessment for more than 30 years; these assessments are made relative to agreed biological
  reference points; major uncertainties are identified and their potential effects analysed and results made explicit. The annual assessments of the ICES working group are subject to peer review within the ICES system.
  

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• The fishery is highly targeted and the effects of the fishery on the wider biological diversity are within acceptable limits.  All significant retained by-catch is recorded, landed and the data are used for managing the corresponding fisheries and contribute to the annual ICES stock assessments.  The spawning stock biomass of the key by-catch species –herring, blue whiting, and horse mackerel all maintain full reproductive capacity.
  
• The DPPO has a Codex of good practice that requires skippers to avoid all adverse interactions with nontarget species, record and report such interactions.  This is successful in that the capture of non commercial fish, birds or marine mammals is extremely rare. Hitherto there have been no records reported and DPPO skippers cannot recall any such interaction within the recent past.
  
• The fishery is fully compliant with all national and international legislation and conventions for the protection of vulnerable species and habitats.  There are a range of ETP species – fish, birds, marine mammals – that are vulnerable to capture by both pelagic trawl and purse seine. Their capture is sufficiently rare that neither ICES nor any other international or national agency has identified a problem associated with this fishery.
  
• Both gears are aimed at pelagic, mid-water shoals.  The trawls are full mid-water pelagic trawls operated in waters of great depth (more than 200 m), as are the purse seines. Neither gear ever comes into contact with the seabed or seabed habitats.
  

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The management system for this fishery is consistent with all relevant laws, and is aimed at achieving sustainable fisheries in accordance with MSC Principles 1 & 2.
  
• Organisations with management responsibility are clearly defined, including their areas of responsibility and interactions.
  
• The application, since 2007 of a rights-based management system (ITQs) for the Danish NEA Mackerel Fishery provides incentives for DPPO members to conduct fisheries in a sustainable manner.  The ITQ system gives them a long-term planning horizon (no “race for fish”) and guarantees them a share of the future (likely increased) TACs and national quotas of a well-managed NEA mackerel stock.
  

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80.

In particular, the client must provide documentary evidence that it fully supports the ICES recommendations with respect to the new mackerel stock management plan. It must also provide documentary evidence that it wishes to see all the major fishing nations in the North-East Atlantic as fully ratified partners of the management plan.

Required actions in this area leading to the implementation of the new plan are expected to result increases in the following scores to the required 80 level or above.

• PI 1.2.2: Harvest control rules and tools:  SG80: There are well defined and effective harvest control rules in place.
  
• PI 3.1.3: Long term objectives:  SG80: The management policy has clear long-term objectives to guide decision-making that are consistent with MSC Principles and Criteria, and incorporate the precautionary approach.
• PI 3.2.1: Fishery-specific objectives:  SG80: The fishery has clear, specific objectives designed to achieve the outcomes expressed by MSC’s Principles 1 and 2.
• PI 3.2.2: Decision-making processes:  SG80: The fishery-specific management system includes effective decision-making processes that result in measures and strategies to achieve the objectives.