A French cod and haddock fishery obtains MSC certification for sustainable fishing
2012 04 20
- Details
After 20 months of assessment, the North-East Arctic cod and haddock fishery becomes today the 5th French fishery to be certified to the MSC standard for sustainable fishing.
A joint commitment to sustainability
Already certified independently for their catches of saithe in the North Sea [1 & 2], the Boulogne fleet EURONOR and the Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo embarked on a joint endeavour to obtain MSC certification for cod and haddock, supported by their producers’ organisation, the FROM Nord [3].
Holding the entire French quota for cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in the North-East Arctic Ocean, the FROM Nord shares it each year between these two companies that have now been certified. A long-standing coordinated management model that Thierry Missonnier, Chairman of the FROM Nord, wanted to enhance: “We work in close collaboration with the subscriber fleets to ensure a sustainable management of halieutic resources. Obtaining MSC certification today is recognition of the coherency of the management measures that we have implemented around an eco-responsible fishery.”
Three of EURONOR’s freezing trawlers (Cap Nord, Klondyke and Nordic II) as well as the trawler Grande Hermine of Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, operate in this fishery. The independent certification body MacAlister Elliott and Partners Ltd and the expert team in charge of assessment found that cod and haddock stocks in the North-East Arctic Ocean were in excellent condition, and reported a controlled impact of fishing gear on marine ecosystems. Going further, an action plan will be implemented to improve the detection and protection of sensitive habitats.
An answer to consumers’ expectations
For Martine Edouard Leborgne, Communication Manager at Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, “The MSC certification is a way to show our good fishing practices to the general public using an independent certification recognised all over the world. We think that MSC certification will consolidate and develop our products on the French market and expand their export marketing.”
Euronor CEO Xavier Leduc confirms these expectations: “With this MSC certification, we are opting to position ourselves on a market that is strategic today. Whereas our first certification (for saithe) was first of all a bet on the future with the aim of enhancing the image of our fishery and attracting new sailors, this second certification responds to a market reality in which we want to have a part.”
An increasingly diversified MSC-labelled product offer
Nicolas Guichoux, MSC Regional Director - Europe, says: “I would like to congratulate and thank all the stakeholders who were involved in the certification process. The demand of sustainable seafood is increasing in Europe, North-America and even Asia. Cod and haddock are white fish species that are very appreciated by French consumers. The MSC ecolabel displayed on these fishery products is very important because it gives the information to the consumer that these species were fished in a sustainable way.”
Edouard Le Bart, MSC Country Manager France, adds: “My congratulations to the EURONOR shipping company, Compagnie des Pêches Saint-Malo, and the FROM Nord producers’ organisation, of which the coordinated approach and good fishing practices have borne fruit and made it possible to obtain MSC certification for cod and haddock. This certification also enlarges the offer of MSC-labelled seafood caught by French shipping companies. Cod and haddock therefore now join the North Sea saithe, Brittany sardines, and Normandy and Jersey lobster that are already MSC-labelled, and show the growing importance that French fisheries attach to obtaining recognition for their good practices.”
Source MSC
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