Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the Ekofish Group-North Sea twin rigged otter trawl plaice 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 species is readily identified by fishers and by regulators and is recorded appropriately, the geographic  range and movement of the species if known, as is the life cycle
  
• The relationship between stock and recruitment is well understood
  
• All fishing methods and gear types used in the fishery are known, as is the seasonal operation of the fleet
• The assessment makes an evaluation of the stock status relative to the reference points, including includes a robust approximation of the consequences of current harvest strategies
  

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

• Information on the importance of plaice in the food web at key life stages is available as a basis of understanding the ecosystem effects of the fishery.
  
• There is detailed knowledge of the type, quantity and location of gear types lost during fishing operations. The impact of gear loss on habitat, target and non-target species has been well estimated or recorded.
• Sufficient information is available on consequences of current levels of removal of target species to suggest no unacceptable impacts of the fishery on ecological systems within major fishing areas.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The management system is legally robust, having been assessed to respect international law, comply with domestic law and observes customary and legal rights.
• A monitoring programme is in place that addresses all key aspects of resource and effects at appropriate intervals and results are recorded.
• An effective surveillance and monitoring system is in place, and effective corrective actions can be implemented in circumstances where non-compliance is detected.

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are:  

• Evaluating the relative contribution of cod by-catch in the fishery to impacts on cod stock recovery.
  
• Further investigating the impacts of the fishing gear on habitats and benthos.
• Establishing a list of potential Protected Endangered and Threatened (PET) species and developing a procedure to record interactions with fishing operations.
• Producing a written code of conduct stating the rules and operational conditions that the Unit of Certification will operate under on a formal basis.