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 Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery is defined as:
|
Species |
North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) |
|
Geographical range of fishing operations |
US federal EEZ waters off Washington, Oregon and California and Canadian EEZ waters off the British Columbia coast. |
|
Method of capture |
Mid-water trawl |
|
Stock |
Offshore stock of Pacific hake/whiting |
|
Management |
The US component of the fishery is managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The US Regulatory Authority for the fishery is the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region. The Makah fishery is managed by the tribe and is managed in accordance with the harvest control rules established by the NMFS. The fishery is managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Canadian share of 26.12% of the Total Allowable Catch is calculated using combined US/ Canada assessment conducted by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. |
|
Client group |
The Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC), the Association of Pacific Hake Fishermen (APHF) and the Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC). |
