Germany Schleswig-Holstein blue shell mussel fishery and culture
Last Updated: 13 October 2011
Number of fisheries:
Species
Blue shell mussel (mytilus edulis)
MSC assessment status
The certification body, SGS,has announced its intention to use the MSC’s default Assessment Tree (including Performance Indicators and Scoring Guideposts) in the evaluation of the fishery against the MSC Principles and Criteria.
The default Assessment Tree is defined in the MSC Fisheries Assessment Methodology (FAM), available for download here.
Any persons wishing to comment on these proposed modifications to the default Assessment Tree are invited to contact Sander Buijs by 5pm CET, 17 November 2011.
The certification body, SGS, has also announced that the fishery is now entering the information gathering phase of the assessment. The primary objective of this stage is to collect information on the fishery and in particular to speak to representatives of the fishery, fishery management bodies and other stakeholders of the fishery. Meetings will be carried out on 18 November 2011 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Any stakeholder with information on this fishery that should be considered in the assessment, or who wishes to meet with SGS should contact Sander Buijs, no later than 5pm CET, 17 November 2011.
For further information please see the assessment downloads.
Fishery location
Coastal area of Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer and Flensburger Innenförde in FAO statistical area 27
Fishing method
Catch and grow and dredging
Fishery management
The management system – both at EU and national level – is subject to law, observes the legal and cultural rights of fishermen and includes transparent mechanisms for dispute resolution. Fishing plan for seed mussels is written by PO.
Commercial market
Mussels are sold mainly fresh on the European market.
Assessment timeline
The assessment process is expected to take 8-12 months and is scheduled for completion around May 2012. Please see the download section for a detailed assessment timeline.
The target eligibility date for this fishery is the date of certification.
The MSC ecolabel can only be applied to product from certified fisheries. The MSC program does allow, in certain circumstances and within strict traceability requirements, the MSC ecolabel to be applied following certification to product caught before the actual date of certification. The target eligibility date therefore represents the date from which products may become eligible to carry the MSC ecolabel, however they cannot be sold until and if the fishery is certified. The actual eligibility date will be determined if the fishery is certified to the MSC standard.
To find out more about when fish from this fishery may be sold with the MSC ecolabel, please follow this link (http://www.msc.org/get-certified/supply-chain/eligibility-dates).
Tonnage of the fishery
Landings in 2009 were 1,510 tonnes
