First catch of Dutch MSC certified sea bass presented in Brussels
2012 04 25
- Details
Sustainably caught sea bass in the spotlight: today, the sea bass fishermen of the Association for Professional Rod-and-Line Fishermen in the Netherlands (VBHL) celebrated the start of its fishing season by presenting the first MSC-labelled [1] sea bass catch to Rupert Howes, MSC chief executive, at the European Seafood Exhibition in Brussels. The small-scale and traditional fishery was certified in December 2011, after the fishing season closed. Sander Buijs, of independent certifier SGS, formally presented the MSC certificate to Imre Schep, representative of the VBHL.
Mr Schep said after receiving the certificate: “The VBHL is proud to have the MSC-ecolabel. It has put our sustainable fishery on the map and that gives a very good feeling; a sense of recognition. Thanks to the certificate, we can discuss the management of the sea bass fishery with other parties. In this way, we hope to safeguard the sea bass fishery, not only for the present generation of fishermen but also for future generations. That is the great strength of MSC certification.”
About the fishery
The sea bass fishery is very traditional: the fishermen fish with rods, line and artificial or natural bait. During day trips, they anchor and fish at ship wrecks and other obstacles with two or three persons on one vessel. Immediately after catching, the fish is put on ice separately, guaranteeing its high quality. The light fishing gear and the selective manner of fishing ensures that impacts on other sea life are kept to a minimum: by-catch of other species, for example, hardly occur.
Besides the traditional fishing method, the sea bass fishery distinguishes itself by its small-scale character. At the moment, 21 small fishing vessels with a maximum length of 10 metres are active within the Association. Together, they catch around 75 tonnes of sea bass per year. The sea bass is auctioned in IJmuiden on the day it is caught.
Sea bass fishermen a good example for small-scale fisheries
Accepting the first MSC certified catch, Rupert Howes said: “My congratulations to the Dutch sea bass fishery for their hard work in achieving MSC certification. This fishery is part of a growing group of small-scale and traditional fisheries in our programme that have successfully secured the long term future of their fisheries and demonstrated their sustainability by achieving MSC certification. I wish them every success in the market.”
Source MSC
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