MSC 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.

In June 2009, the Dutch Ekofish Group was the first North Sea plaice fishery to receive MSC certification for its twin-rigged otter trawl. As the Ekofish Group lands 6,000 tonnes of plaice with its 13 cutters each year, this is a major step towards making North Sea plaice fishery more sustainable.  Louwe de Boer, Director of the Dutch Ekofish Group, explains what MSC means for the whole group.

Quick facts

• Working with WWF and MSC we have demonstrated that a species that was red listed can be fished sustainably
• Twin-rig otter trawl method reduces fuel consumption
• MSC certification enables a good market position of North Sea plaice; only sustainable plaice gets access to the shelves of European supermarkets
• Nets with greater mesh widths limit the undesired bycatch
• The Ekofish Group cooperates with the fishery academy. One of their vessels is used for training, providing practical education on sustainable fishing methods

Why we chose MSC certification

"In 2005, we decided to shift from beam-trawl fishery to twin-rig otter trawl. The high fuel price was the main reason for doing so," says Louwe de Boer from Urk. An additional and unexpected benefit was that twin-rig otter trawl, a fishing method that was fairly new in the Netherlands, landed a much better quality plaice. However, this quality did not lead to a better price, which caused Louwe de Boer to start marketing his own fish. He visited potential buyers in The Netherlands and abroad.

Only sustainable plaice in the supermarkets
Switzerland proved to have a demand for quality fish, but a major buyer announced that plaice would soon disappear from his shelves, because this fish had been on the WWF red list for a couple of years. "That was quite a wake-up call for us. We were totally dependent on plaice, as we had given up our sole rights, and now our fish was in danger of becoming unsellable. Our experience in Switzerland encouraged us to make contact with the WWF to see how we could make our fishery more sustainable."

Through the Dutch branch of the WWF, the Ekofish Group learned about the MSC program. As making the plaice fishery more sustainable was one of the drivers for the WWF, they committed their active support. The Ekofish Group started its certification process and after 16 months it became MSC certified.

“We are persuading other twin-rig fishing vessels who want to make the same changes as us to join our group. That way we can bring more MSC plaice to the market.”

What sets us apart

"We were the first North Sea plaice fishery to obtain the MSC certification. We had to make tough decisions to come so far, for example, avoiding fragile but interesting fishing areas."

Environmental benefits of MSC certification

"We obtained the sustainability certification from MSC because we work with nets with greater mesh widths to limit the undesired bycatch. We avoid a few vulnerable areas and we respect the season. We are also collaborating with scientific research into the effects of twin-rig otter trawl on life on the seabed."

How else does MSC certification benefit the environment?

Economic benefits of MSC certification

Plaice prices have been under severe pressure for some time, but the Ekofish Group can still receive a reasonable price for its certified fish. The Ekofish Group has chosen to market its 6,000 tonnes itself. The plaice is no longer sold at auction, as is customary. "We sign our own contracts with the buyers. The market wants certainty that it can obtain certain volumes at a fixed price; we meet that need and it gives us certainty too."

Louwe de Boer is particularly pleased that the MSC certification of his fishery enables him to tell consumers that they can eat his fish with a clear conscience. "That is the biggest benefit of the MSC ecolabel."

How else does MSC certification improve economic prospects for fisheries?

Social benefits of MSC certification

"Twin-rig otter trawl and the ensuing MSC certification were a complete eye-opener to us. We want to spread the word and that is why we decided to cooperate with the fishery academy. One of our vessels has been converted into a fishery training vessel. Students acquire practical knowledge of a sustainable fishing method and onboard they help with the monitoring we carry out within the framework of MSC. It is an excellent learning experience for them."

Looking ahead…

"We are persuading other twin-rig fishing vessels who want to make the same changes as us to join our group. That way we can bring more MSC plaice to the market."

Get recipes for sustainable fish dishes

Find MSC labelled products from this fishery

More about MSC certified fisheries and fish

The article above was written by an independent journalist commissioned by the MSC to find out how MSC certification has helped this fishery.

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, the geographic  range and movement of the species if known, as is the life cycle
  
• The relationship between stock and recruitment is well understood
  
• All fishing methods and gear types used in the fishery are known, as is the seasonal operation of the fleet
• The assessment makes an evaluation of the stock status relative to the reference points, including includes a robust approximation of the consequences of current harvest strategies
  

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

• Information on the importance of plaice in the food web at key life stages is available as a basis of understanding the ecosystem effects of the fishery.
  
• There is detailed knowledge of the type, quantity and location of gear types lost during fishing operations. The impact of gear loss on habitat, target and non-target species has been well estimated or recorded.
• Sufficient information is available on consequences of current levels of removal of target species to suggest no unacceptable impacts of the fishery on ecological systems within major fishing areas.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The management system is legally robust, having been assessed to respect international law, comply with domestic law and observes customary and legal rights.
• A monitoring programme is in place that addresses all key aspects of resource and effects at appropriate intervals and results are recorded.
• An effective surveillance and monitoring system is in place, and effective corrective actions can be implemented in circumstances where non-compliance is detected.

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:  

• Evaluating the relative contribution of cod by-catch in the fishery to impacts on cod stock recovery.
  
• Further investigating the impacts of the fishing gear on habitats and benthos.
• Establishing a list of potential Protected Endangered and Threatened (PET) species and developing a procedure to record interactions with fishing operations.
• Producing a written code of conduct stating the rules and operational conditions that the Unit of Certification will operate under on a formal basis.
  

The fishery: Unit of certification

The certified Ekofish Group-North Sea twin rigged otter trawl plaice fishery is defined as:

Surveillance 3: Completed July 2012

Variation Response: Change to the Unit of Certification - 11 September 2012

Variation Request: Change to the Unit of Certification - 11 September 2012

Stakeholder Notification: catch registration at additional eligible landing ports and fish auctions - 24 August 2012

 Surveillance Report - 3 July 2012

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance visit scheduled - 24 April 2012

Surveillance 2: Completed December 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Client group extension - 23 March 2012

Surveillance report - 20 December 2011

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance visit scheduled - 10th March 2011

Surveillance 1: Concluded June 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Client Group extension - 31st August 2010

Surveillance report - 4 June 2010

Stakeholder Notification: Surveillance visit scheduled - 23rd February 2010

Certificates: Compliance with the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable fishing

Certificate of compliance MML-F-065 - Valid 4th June 2009 to 3rd June 2014

Stage 7: Objections procedure/public certification report and certificate issue

No objections were received

Public certification report - 4th June 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Issuance of public certification report - 4th June 2009

Stage 6: Final report and determination

Final report and determination - 30th April 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Announcement of final report and determination - 30th April 2009

Stage 5: Public review of the draft assessment report

Public comment draft report - 20th January 2009

Stakeholder Notification: Public comment on the draft report released - 20th January 2009

Stage 4: Client and peer review

Stakeholder Notification: Change in fishery name - 6th November 2008

Peer reviewers confirmed - 18th November 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Peer reviewers proposed - 27th October 2008

Stage 3: Information gathering, stakeholder meetings and scoring

Stakeholder notification: Site visit - 22nd July 2008

Stage 2: Building the assessment tree

Final assessment tree - 31st July 2008

Draft assessment tree - 18 June 2008

Stakeholder notification - Draft assessment tree released for comment - 18 June 2008

Stage 1: Fishery announcement and assessment team formation

Stakeholder Notification: Assessment team nominated - 4 April 2008

Stakeholder Notification: Fishery enters full assessment - 31 January 2008

Client

Ekofish Group BV

PO Box 202
8320 AE
URK
Netherlands
Tel. +31 527 68 7692
Fax. +31 527 68 7637
Email: louwe@ekofishgroup.nl
Internet: www.ekofishgroup.nl

Certification Body