Meet the fishers

Meet the PFA North Sea herring fishers

The Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA) North Sea herring fishery was certified as meeting the MSC's sustainability standards in May 2006 and recertified in May 2011. At approximately 35,000 tonnes, it represents around 35% of the total allowable catch of North Sea Herring and is the largest fishery in Europe to receive the certification.

Herring swim together in shoals and often migrate over large distances in the sea. Herring can be found at depths down to 200 meters in the North Sea and along the borders of the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr Gerard van Balsfoort, President of the PFA says: "North Sea herring fisheries have been operating for many centuries and have a strong cultural tradition in coastal communities of European countries. We are happy to be measured against the rigorous, internationally recognised MSC Standard to validate our sustainable fishery and its good management. This certification is the result of an ongoing commitment by PFA members to ensure that the stocks they fish are sustainable, and thus available to feed large parts of the world’s population in the future.”

Certification by the MSC will allow consumers to make an informed choice that benefits the environment and supports the families involved in the PFA North Sea herring fishery for future generations.