Samherji’s Atlantic cod, haddock and herring fisheries enter MSC full assessment
2012 05 16
- Details
Samherji Hf has entered the Northeast Atlantic cod, haddock and herring fisheries for full assessment for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification [1]. The fisheries will be assessed by independent certifier Food Certification International Ltd (FCI). If successful, over 22.440 MT of Atlantic cod, 4.680 MT of Atlantic haddock and 36.620 MT of Atlantic herring (2011) will be eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel.
The cod and haddock fleet comprises 13 fresh fish and freezer vessels, ranging from 40 to 70 meters long, using bottom trawl and longline. The herring fishery comprises 4 pelagic trawlers, ranging from 60 to 110 meters long, using mid-water trawl and seine nets. The fishery takes place year round in the North Atlantic Sea (FAO statistical area 27).
The fishery produces a variety of products such as fresh cod and haddock loins, individual quick frozen portions in costumers demand shapes and sizes as well as fillets. The herring fishery products are mainly whole frozen herring, fillets or flaps. A small part of the herring production goes for fishmeal and fish oil, mainly as by-product from filleting. Samherji’s main markets are within the EU and Eastern Europe, USA and Asia.
What Samherji says
Gustaf Baldvinsson, head of Samherji Sales says: “For the past few years we at Samherji, together with our group companies, have monitored the progress of the MSC program. MSC has yielded results in the certification of sustainable fishing in waters across the globe. Increasingly more companies have decided to seek independent certification of their fishing operations including Samherji’s daughter companies in the Faroe Islands and Germany, along with with our main competitors in Norway. We have found that our customers are very keen that our fishing in Iceland should to be certifiedto the MSC standard.. By seeking certification of our cod, haddock and herring from Iceland we are responding to those wishes. The MSC assessment – and, we hope, eventual certification - will confirm that our engagement in sustainable fishing meets our customers expectations.”
What the MSC says
Gisli Gislason, MSC’s Icelandic consultant says: “I welcome the cod, haddock and herring fisheries from Samherji into the MSC assessment process. The increasing participation of fisheries from Iceland in the MSC program shows that independent credible verification of sustainability matters, and that seafood markets increasingly ask for this. The independent transparent certification process required to achieve certification to the MSC standard adds credibility and weight to regional claims about responsible fisheries management. I wish Samherji a good assessment process, and eagerly look forward to hopefully positive outcomes early in 2013”.
MSC
.jpg)
The magazine SEA has been published since 1935
International business magazine JŪRA MOPE SEA has been published since 1999
The first magazine in Eurasia in the four languages: English, Chinese, Russian and Lithuanian
|
|