Number of fisheries: 1
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Fishery species
Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma)
MSC assessment status
The Conformity Assessment Body, Intertek Moody Marine, submitted a variation request proposing to split the Russian Bering Sea pollock fishery unit of certification. This fishery will now be assessed as two separate units of certification, the Russian Bering Sea pollock fishery and the Russian Navarinsky pollock fishery.
Please refer to the assessment downloads section for further information.
Fishery location
Russian EEZ waters of Western Bering Sea
Fishing method
Mid-water trawl
Fishery management
The fishery management system in Russia is described in the documents as being multi-levelled and heavily regulated. The principal fishery management body is the Federal Agency on Fishery. Its functions include implementation of fishery-related governmental policies such as the preparation of laws, financing of fleet construction, fishery research and educational institutions, and so on. Research institutions operate under its auspices and carry out research on aquatic biological resource assessment, and evaluate measures on their rational use, including TAC options. Stock assessments and TAC estimates are subject to annual updating, under control to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation. An Expert Council includes prominent marine scientists from research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Following the expert review, TAC proposals on each target species per separate fishing areas are annually approved by a governmental resolution and, after that, no one is empowered to alter the approved TACs.
The role of basin-level fishery councils is limited to handling production and economic aspects of the fisheries (quota distribution between fishing companies, interfacing and coordination in observance of Fishing Rules, and the like).
Commercial market
Pollock is used for a number of products including pollock roe, which is principally exported to the Japanese and southeast Asian markets. Pollock fillets are used to supply internal markets as well as Asian and European markets. Pollock surimi paste is also produced for internal use and export
Assessment timeline
The assessment process is expected to take approximately 40 months and is scheduled for completion in or around December 2011. Please see the download section for a detailed assessment timeline.
The proposed target eligibility date is six months prior to the publication of the most recent Public Comment Draft Report.
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).
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