The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association (NFA) has started the full public assessment to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard, for its North Atlantic blue whiting, and North Sea sandeel, pout and sprat fisheries.
The market drives positive change
In 2015, the Norwegian pelagic trawl, bottom trawl and purse seine caught 489 000 MT of blue whiting, 44 000 MT of pout, 101 000 MT of sandeel, and 9 000 MT of sprat. These species are primarily used for production of fish meal and fish oil for the global market, with the aquaculture industry as a major recipient. If successfully certified, the production of sustainable marine raw material for salmon feed for instance is anticipated to grow.
The main driver behind NFA’s application for MSC certification of these species is the market demand for MSC certified raw material of fish meal and fish oil. Tor B. Larsen, NFA’s environmental advisor, who is coordinating and representing the client group during the certification process comments: “There is an increasing demand for certified sustainable raw material in the fish meal and fish oil industry, and the Norwegian industry must meet these market demands. We are pleased to enter these fisheries into certification and look forward to a thorough process led by DNV GL.”
Camiel Derichs, MSC’s regional director for Europe has been following the positive development of an increased demand for credible verification of sustainability within the fish meal and fish oil industry, and explains: “Some 20% of annual global wild-caught production is used for fish meal and fish oil production. The majority of these ingredients then end up in animal feeds, with an increasing proportion of the fish oil used for supplements and nutraceuticals. It is critical that the low trophic level species which are usually used in this supply-chain are managed sustainably, given that these species often play key a role in the ecosystem. Over the past 2 years MSC experiences an increasing interest amongst reduction fisheries to be assessed against the world’s leading fisheries sustainability standard. We welcome that development, which indicates that the aquafeed industry and supplement industry increasingly seek independent credible verification of sustainability for their procurements.”
A thorough and robust assessment process
In order to achieve the MSC fisheries standard requirements, the fisheries must meet 28 performance indicators for sustainability across three principles: the target fish stock must be sustainable, the fishing practices must minimise environmental impacts, and an effective management system must be in place.
MSC assessments are rooted in the best scientific evidence available and stakeholders are encouraged to actively participate in the process. The assessment is estimated to take 12 months, and is run by a third party from DNV GL, who will review all scientific and stakeholder information available. Camiel Derichs adds: “We welcome the Norwegian fisheries for blue whiting in the North Atlantic, and the fisheries for sprat, pout and sandeel in the North Sea in the full assessment process”.
If successfully certified, the blue whiting will be added as a new certified species to the already MSC certified Norway spring spawning herring fishery, while the Norway sandeel, pout and north sea sprat fishery will be certified as one separate fishery.