Concarneau fishing port
Breton purse seiners net MSC certification
05 August 2010
South Brittany sardine purse seine fishery has just been awarded the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certificate, making it the second French fishery to achieve MSC certification for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.
The MSC environmental certification and eco-labelling scheme is the only programme to be fully consistent with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries’.
The 21 member boats of the Association des Bolincheurs de Bretagne (Association of Purse Seine Fishers in Brittany) and holders of a purse seiner license will from now be able to affix the blue MSC ecolabel to their catches. This announcement comes at a time when the sardine fishing season is in full swing along the Breton coast.
Seasonal inshore fishing
The sardine fishing season runs from May to October, with around 90% of catches taken during this period. In 2009, the association’s annual catches were estimated to be around 20,000 metric tonnes.
The purse seiners’ catches are primarily landed at the fish markets of Saint-Guénolé (50%), Douarnenez (30%) and, to a lesser extent, Concarneau (15%), with the remaining 5% landed at the fish markets of Loctudy, Le Guilvinec and Audierne.
Sardines caught by purse seiners are primarily of grade 10 or 20 (between 14 and 23 centimetres); the smallest destined primarily for the canning industry and the largest for the fresh market.
Sardine purse seining is managed exclusively in territorial waters up to 12 miles from the coast. As a result, it is considered a type of coastal fishing and governed by the Comité Régional des Pêches Maritimes et des Elevages Marins de Bretagne in the framework of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Statements from the Association des Bolincheurs de Bretagne
"We are delighted to be joining the family of MSC-certified fisheries. It was important for us to prove the sustainability of our fishing practices by means of an independent evaluation and this international recognition is a reward for our association, which independently manages our fishery. Sardine fishing is not actually governed by a quota system and we have implemented our own license system to improve our resource management. The MSC certification is part of our plan to continue to pursue this voluntary responsible approach alongside our management systems", says Didier Le Gloanec, president of the Association des Bolincheurs de Bretagne.
"We are lucky enough to be practising a great profession which uses ‘clean’ fishing techniques, and we want to share and pass on such practices to future generations. In the framework of our MSC certification, we have also signed an agreement with officials from the Iroise Marine Park for the purposes of gathering data on bycatch species and sensitive habitats. Sea observation initiatives and the work we do in conjunction with scientists also testify to our willingness to go the extra mile to preserve the resource we have."
Statements from the MSC
Nicolas Guichoux, Director of the MSC in Europe, says “I would like to congratulate Didier Le Gloanec and the Breton purse seiners for this second French certification. It is thanks to visionary fishermen like them that the face of fishing is changing and is regaining the recognition it deserves not only in France but also worldwide. Their support and commitment are indeed a cornerstone of our programme, and together we can reverse the decline in fishing resources and preserve them for both the current and future generations. Sustainable fishing also helps to create a virtuous circle in that by protecting the resource and the environment we can also protect the jobs which depend on them."
Edouard Le Bart, MSC Manager for France, adds "I am very happy to see the sardine purse seine fishery gain certification. It was the first fishery in France to undertake this challenge and their efforts have now been rewarded. The market was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to sell this flagship species under the MSC logo, and this can now become a reality."
An independent scientific evaluation
The South Brittany sardine purse seine fishery was subject to an independent scientific evaluation whereby Bureau Veritas Certification and a team of four independent scientific experts evaluated fishing practices in the area in relation to the three basic principles of the MSC benchmark, namely the sustainability of targeted stock, ecosystem preservation and the efficiency of the fishing management system.
The Association of Purse Seine Fishers in Brittany
The Association of Purse Seine Fishers in Brittany was set up in 2005 and represents a group of purse seine fishers in Southern Brittany. The group’s 18 vessels currently catch around 20,000 tons of sardines annually.
The association’s objectives are threefold:
- Promote purse-seining as a fishing practice
- Add value to its seafood products
- Represent purse seine fishers before institutions dealing with this type of gear
For more information on the association, please contact Didier Le Gloanec on +33 6 21 93 57 56 or email didier.legloanec@orange.fr
The purse seine
The purse seine is a large "sliding" fishing net used since the beginning of the 20th century in Brittany. Drawn from the boat, the purse seine net is usually several hundred meters long and is used to encircle a school of fish once it has been located. Along the bottom of the purse seine net are a number of rings. A rope passes through all the rings, and when pulled, draws the rings close to one another turning the net into a "purse" and preventing the fish from swimming down. The net is then brought alongside the boat little by little. The fish captured alive is then transferred to the boat thanks to "landing nets" known as salabardes in Brittany.
For further information on fisheries involved in the MSC programme, please visit: http://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery
For a list of MSC-labelled products on sale, please see: http://www.msc.org/where-to-buy
