Unit of certification
The unit of certification is the unit that is assessed by certifiers against the MSC environmental standard. It is defined as the fishery or fish stock (a biologically distinct unit) combined with the fishing method/gear and practice (the vessel/s) pursuing that stock. This is set at the beginning of the assessment.
The fishery: Unit of certification
The certified North West Atlantic Canada harpoon swordfish fishery is defined as:
|
Species |
Atlantic Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) |
|
Geographical range of fishing operations |
NAFO Areas 3, 4, 5, and 6 and international waters within the ICCAT Northern Swordfish Boundary Area. |
|
Method of capture |
Harpoon |
|
Stock |
North Atlantic swordfish stock |
|
Management |
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is responsible for the assessment process and for managing the species at the international level. Nationally, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is responsible for ensuring that relevant ICCAT regulatory recommendations are implemented within the Canadian Atlantic swordfish fishery. DFO, in consultation with members of the industry advisory committees, is responsible for controlling the fishery in order to remain within quota recommendations of ICCAT. |
|
Client group |
The clients of certification are the Nova Scotia Swordfishermen’s Association (NSSA), the Swordfish Harpoon Association (SHA) and the SHQ Swordfish Harpoon Quota Society. |
