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Osprey Trawlers North Sea twin-rigged plaice

MSC status

Certified as sustainable in September 2010

Osprey Trawlers North Sea twin-rigged plaice image

Summary

Species:  Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)
Location:  Central North Sea, FAO Area 27, ICES Area IVb
Fishing methods:  Demersal twin rigged trawl
Vessels: 4
Number of fisheries: 1

Fishery Fact Sheet

Download the Osprey Trawlers North Sea twin-rigged plaice fishery fact sheet for A4 paper

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

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).

To comply with effort management measures under the cod recovery plan, certified vessels operate different cod-end mesh sizes depending on the location fished; 95-100 mm in the designated flatfish area (south of 55 degrees/56 degrees North), and 110 – 130 mm to the north of this.

Fishery tonnage

The catch data of the four Osprey Trawler vessels is 2,000 metric tonnes.

Commercial market

Whole and filleted (fresh & frozen), breaded fillets sold throughout the EU.

Actual eligibility date

1st April 2010

 

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