Summary

Species:  North Sea saithe (Pollachius virens)
Location:  The North Sea, ICES area IV.
Fishing methods:  Trawl, gill-net, purse-seine, Danish seine and handline (including electronic winches – multiple hooks with lures).
Number of fisheries: 1

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Commercial market

Most saithe is exported to the Caribbean and South America, West- and Eastern Europe.

More about Norway North Sea saithe

North Sea saithe is found along the western coast of Norway in depths of up to 400m. Young saithe are mainly distributed inshore in sheltered bays and coastal waters along the west and south coast of Norway, the coast of Shetland and the coast of Scotland. Older saithe gradually migrate at around 3 years of age from the coastal areas to the northern part of the North Sea, mainly along the shelf edge, where the feeding grounds of the adult part of the stock are situated. Fish mature at between 4 and 6 years of age, and spawning takes place in January-March at about 200 m depth along the Northern Shelf edge and the western edge of the Norwegian deeps. When saithe exceed 60-70 cm in length the diet changes from plankton to fish.

More about the fishing methods

In the Norwegian fishery, which at present accounts for 52% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC), various gears are used. On average over the last 10 years about 85% of the Norwegian catch originates from bottom trawl, 9% from purse seine, 4% from gill net and 2% from other conventional gears (long line, Danish seine and hand line). The gill net fishery is most intense during winter and the purse seine in the summer months while the trawl fishery takes place more evenly all year around.

The Norwegian saithe fisheries take place in two regions in the North-East Arctic and in the North Sea.

The North-East Arctic saithe is distributed along the coast of Norway and Russia from the Kola Peninsula southwest to Møre at 62º N. In the North Sea, juveniles are mainly distributed in nursery grounds inshore, in sheltered bays and coastal waters along the west and south coast of Norway, the coast of Shetland and the coast of Scotland.

The Norwegian North Sea saithe and Norwegian North East Arctic saithe fisheries were awarded the MSC ecolabel for sustainable fishing in June 2008, becoming the very first Norwegian fisheries in the world to be certified as sustainable.

 “The eco-labelling of Norwegian saithe is an important measure to document to the markets that the Norwegian harvesting is legal and sustainable. Norwegian fisheries management is globally recognized as first class, but this is the first Norwegian fishery to achieve a certificate from an independent third party. The eco label from MSC will - in the first instance - be particularly valuable for the sale of Norwegian saithe in markets where consumers already demand eco-labelling of seafood.”

Audun Maråk, Chief Executive of The Norwegian Fishing Vessels Owners Association

The majority of Norwegian saithe is currently exported to the Caribbean and South America, West- and Eastern Europe. The MSC “seal of approval” has given both fisheries a competitive edge in increasingly globalized markets where environmental credibility can play a decisive role in purchasing decisions.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing (please note that five gear types were assessed individually within this assessment). The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified: 

Trawl 

Purse Seine

Gill Net

Danish Seine

Handline

Sustainability strengths

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

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• Abundance of the stock is clearly understood through the use of multiple indices of of abundance
• Responsive, relevant and timely management tools using accurate and thorough information from the fishery provide a mangement system well aligned with the overall fishery objectives
• Data strongly indicate a robust age, sex and genetic structure in the stock, such that would maintain reproductive capacity

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

• Knowledge of the food web and the role of saithe in that food web is well advanced
• The physical impacts on the habitat have been studied and quantified and no unacceptable impacts have been demonstrated

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The overall management system has clearly defined responsibility, is consistent with international conventions and agreements and is subject to regular internal and external review 
• Research priorities are cearly defined and appropriate resources are available to undertake the required research

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:  

• Additional research to quantify and reduce the uncertainty identified retrospectively in the stock assessment results 
• Sampling programmes to be initiated that provide more robust estimates of the bycatch of all species in the fishery
• An assessment of the potential impacts of saithe directed fishing within coral protection areas
  

The fishery: Unit of certification

The certified North Sea saithe fishery is defined as: 

Surveillance 3: Completed June 2011

Annual Surveillance Report  - 28th June 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 29th March 2011

Surveillance 2: Completed September 2010

Annual Surveillance Report  - 23rd September 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Variation in the submission of Surveillance Audit report - 20th July 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 9th April 2010

Surveillance 1: Completed October 2009

Surveillance report No.1 - 27th October 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Change in Certification Body - 21st August 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Annual surveillance audit - 17th July 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance audit extension - 11th June 2009

Initial assessment: Certified June 2008

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

Certificate of compliance MSC-F-60001-2009 - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Certificate of compliance MSC-F-60003-2009 - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Certificate of compliance MSC-F-60009-2009 - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Certificate of compliance MSC-F-60010-2009 - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Certificate of compliance MSC-F-60011-2009 - Valid 16th June 2008 to 15th June 2013

Stage 7: Public certification report and certificate issue

Eligibility of products to enter chain of custody - 21st August 2008

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Client

Norwegian Seafood Industry

c/o Fiskebat (Norwegian Fishing Vessel Owners Association)
Røysegata 15
Postbox 67
N-6001 Ålesund
Norway

Contact: Webjørn Barstad
Email: fiskebat@fiskebat.no
Phone: +47 70 10 14 60
Fax: +47 70 10 14 80

www.fiskebat.no

Certification Body

Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

Veritasveien 1,
1322 HØVIK,
Norway

Contact: Ms Sandhya Chaudhury
Phone: +47 404 00 404
Email: Sandhya.Chaudhury@dnv.com

www.dnv.com