Certified as sustainable on 9 June 2008. 

Summary

Species: North Sea herring (Clupea harengus)
Location: The North Sea
Fishing methods: Pelagic purse seine
Number of fisheries: 1

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Commercial market

Maatjes is a product made from herring that are just beginning to develop ovary sacs. It is the timing of this development that dictates where and when the fishery takes place. Maatjes is a high quality, high value product mainly sold on Dutch, Belgium and German markets. Fish caught before the ovaries begin to develop, or after they have developed, are not suitable for the production of maatjes herring.

More information coming soon.

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.
• Selectivity of gear types are well estimated by size, sex and maturity.

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

• Information is available on all non-target species directly affected by the fishery including the distribution and ecology. Accurate records are kept on the nature and extent of all by-catch species including species size and sex composition.
• It is known that the direct and indirect effects of fishing on threatened and endangered species are within clearly defined and acceptable limits.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• Accepting the primacy of ecological sustainability in management, the system observes all legal and customary rights of people dependent upon fishing under a formal codified system. Strong evidence of rigorous monitoring and control of the enforcement measures through for example satellite monitoring, shipboard observers and nominated landing ports. Strong evidence of firm action taken in the event of breaches
  

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:  

• Active lobbying and support for the setting of TACs within the boundaries of the harvest control rule, with fishing mortalities set significantly above the target, undertaken.   
  
• Active support for research into the survival rates of slipped fish provided
• Record all incidences of slippage.
  

The fishery: Unit of certification

The certified Astrid Fiske North Sea herring fishery is defined as:

Surveillance 4: Completed May 2012

Stakeholder Announcement: Annual surveillance audit - 22nd May 2012

Surveillance 3: Completed May 2011

Surveillance Report No.3 - 3st May 2011

Stakeholder Announcement: Annual surveillance audit - 23rd March 2011

Surveillance 2: Completed June 2010

Surveillance Report No.2 - 21st June 2010

Stakeholder Announcement: Annual surveillance audit - 16th April 2010

Surveillance 1: Completed July 2009

Surveillance Report No.1 - 2nd July 2009

Stakeholder Announcement: Annual surveillance audit - 26th March 2009

Certificates: Compliance with the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable fishing

Certificate of compliance F-FCI-00001 (Page 1) - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Certificate of compliance F-FCI-00001 (Page 2)

Stage 7: Public certification report and certificate issue

Public certification report - 9 June 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Public certification report and certificate issued - 9 June 2008

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination

Stakeholder Notification: Final report and determination

Stage 5: Pubic review of the draft assessment report

Public comment draft report

Stakeholder Notification: public comment draft report released

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers confirmed

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers proposed

Stage 3: Information gathering, stakeholder meetings and scoring

Stakeholder Notification: Site visits sheduled

Stage 2: Building assessment tree 

Final Assessment Tree

Draft Assessment Tree

Stakeholder Notification: Draft Assessment Tree released for comment

Stage 1: Fishery announcement and assessment team formation

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team confirmation - 15 May 2012

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated - 3 May 2012

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment - 3 May 2012

Assessment Timeline - 3 May 2012

Client

Astrid Fiske AB

Contact: Werner Larsson
Info@astridfiskexport.se

Fiskhamnsgatan
Rönnäng
Sweden
www.astridfiskexport.se

Certification Body

Food Certification International Ltd (FCI)

Findhorn House
Dochfour Business Centre
Dochgarroch
Inverness
IV3 8GY
Scotland
UK

Contact: Joanna Kabut
Email: joanna.kabut@foodcertint.com

Contact: Martin Gill or Melissa McFadden

Tel: + 44 (0)1463 223 039
Fax:+ 44 (0)1463 246 380
Mobile: +44 (0)7834 206 935

martin.gill@foodcertint.com
melissa.mcfadden@foodcertint.com

www.foodcertint.com