Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group Ltd North Sea herring 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.
• Selectivity of gear types are well estimated by size, sex and maturity.
  

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

• The nature, sensitivity and the distribution of all habitats relevant to the fishing operations are known in detail. Information is recent. The distribution of fishing operations and their effort is  monitored.It is known that the direct and indirect effects of fishing on threatened and  endangered species are within clearly defined and acceptable limits.
• Information is available on all nontarget species directly affected by the fishery including the  distribution and ecology. Accurate records are kept on the nature and extent of all bycatch species including species size and sex composition.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

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.