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Ekofish Group-North Sea twin rigged otter trawl plaice

Ekofish plaiceMSC status

Certified as sustainable on the 4th of June 2009. 

Summary

Species: Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)
Location: Central North Sea (ICES: area IVb). Between Scotland and Denmark.
Fishing methods: Demersal otter trawl. The mesh sizes of the nets vary from 120 - 140 mm, depending on fishing area.
Vessels: 13
Number of fisheries: 1

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Fishery Fact Sheet

Download the Ekofish plaice fishery fact sheet for A4 paper (pdf, 400kb)
Download the Ekofish plaice fishery fact sheet for US letter paper (pdf, 386kb)

More about plaice

Plaice is a demersal species generally living on sandy substrates but may also be found on mud and gravel. The species is easily identified throughout its life history. As juveniles and adults, plaice have a striking appearance and can be readily distinguished from other flatfish species by their general colour and markings.

The eyed, right hand, side is a warm greenish brown with bright red to orange spots on it and the underside is a pearly white. This coloration varies with the substrate into which it very lightly merges.

Plaice is a shallow water species found from the near coast as juveniles down to around 150 metres in northern waters. In the North Sea it is generally found in depths less than 100 metres. The species is widely distributed on the continental shelf from the Bay of Biscay in the south through the English Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea to the Baltic, Iceland, the Norwegian coast and Barents Sea in the north.

More about the fishing methods

The certified fishery is undertaken using a twin-rigged otter trawl fishing gear. Otter trawling involves a cone shaped net being towed behind a fishing vessel in close proximity and/or in contact with the seabed.  The vessels within the certified fishery operate two otter trawls fishing side by side at the same time (twin-rigged) using a 120-140mm mesh net.

Fishery tonnage

5,000 tonnes

Commercial market

Plaice caught by Ekofish Group BV is sold domestically in the Netherlands and may be exported elsewhere in Northern Europe.

 

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