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Meet the fishers

Euronor 100x100Meet the French saithe fishery fishers

EURONOR, the French saithe fishery, based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, was awarded the Marine Stewardship Council certificate for sustainable and well-managed fisheries following a 13-month assessment in March 2010. This was the first French fishery to achieve MSC certification.

EURONOR, Comptoir des Pêches d’Europe du Nord, was jointly set up in January 2006 by two large fishing vessels owners of Boulogne sur mer, the Société Boulonnaise d’Armement Le Garrec, established in 1929 and Nord Pêcheries, established in 1945. Sharing the same pioneering spirit and values, Le Garrec and Leduc families decided to pool their experience and their knowledge in order to become a major actor of the saithe and deep-sea species fisheries in Europe.

Five EURONOR fishing vessels target saithe in the North Sea, off Western Scotland, and in the Norwegian Sea. Saithe, which is also known as coley, is a white fish with firm flesh. In Germany it is popular when salted or smoked - cooked fresh it's a versatile fish that carries flavours well.

The fleet produces 16,000 metric tones of saithe annually. With fishing rights representing over 90% of the French quota for this species, it is the largest saithe fishing company in France and one of the largest in Europe. The fleet comprises three freezer vessels which process their catch into fillets at sea and two wet fish vessels which land fresh fish and sell them through auction.

"The MSC assessment process, which we entered voluntarily, has enabled us to make some improvements to our management systems to protect the environment, preserve fish stocks and secure the long-term future of our fishery. This is a thorough assessment process which requires an active commitment from the fishery. Its scientific robustness and transparency has enabled us to approach the assessment with peace of mind. We have been very impressed with the expertise and professionalism of the expert scientific team, convened by MEP, our certifier."

“We are proud of being fishermen and we want to ensure that young people, who have just started, will be as proud as we are of their profession. We want their kids to be proud of the work their fathers do and we think the MSC certification is a great way to earn recognition for our work.”

Bruno Leduc, Deputy CEO of EURONOR

 

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