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 Hastings fleet Dover sole fishery is defined as:
| Species |
Dover sole (Solea solea) |
| Geographical range of fishing operations |
Within the Eastern English Channel (ICES Division VIId) and specifically between Beachy Head and Dungeness and offshore to the six mile limit. |
| Method of capture |
Fishery is undertaken by under 10m boats launched from the beach at Hastings (‘Stade-launched boats’). The fishery under certification is the trammel net fishery. |
| Stock |
The fishery proposed for certification is part of the overall fishing pressure on the Eastern Channel stock within ICES Management Area VIId. It is recognised that this fishery represents a small proportion of the total fishing pressure on this stock and so the status of the stock as a whole is assessed. However, fishing practices, and their consequences, are evaluated within the Hastings fleet only. |
| Management |
ICES Advisory Committee on Fisheries Management (ACFM), European Commission’s fisheries inspectorate, DEFRA |
| Client Group |
Hastings Borough Council and the Hastings Fishermen's Protection Society |
