Danish Saithe Fishery Recieves Certification

The North Sea and Skagerrak Saithe(Pleuronectesplatessa) fishery, jointly managed by the members of the Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation (DFPO), has been certified as sustainable against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) environmental standard for sustainable and well managed fisheries.

Around 7,000 metric tonnes of Danish saithe will now be eligible to display the blue MSC ecolabel in the market place.

The certified DFPO Denmark North Sea and Skagerrak Saithe fishery comprises around 150 vessels using seine, static nets and demersal trawls. The fishery is subject to the 2004 EU-Norway agreement and is managed according to the EU-Norway harvest control rule which was renewed in December 2008. Sea and landings inspections are carried out by EU national enforcement agencies and the Norwegian coastguard service.

The main markets for Danish saithe are Germany, Netherland, France and Spain. A small proportion of the catch is filleted in Denmark for domestic consumption.

French Saithe Fishery Awarded MSC Certification

EURONOR, the French saithe fishery, based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, has just been awarded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for sustainable and well-managed fisheries following a 13-month assessment. This is the first French fishery to achieve MSC certification and saithe (Pollachius virens) from the EURONOR fleet is now eligible to display the MSC eco-label.

Five EURONOR fishing vessels target saithe in the North Sea, off Western Scotland, and in the Norwegian Sea. The fleet produces 16,000 metric tones of saithe annually. With fishing rights representing over 90% of the French quota for this species, it is the largest saithe fishing company in France and one of the largest in Europe. The fleet comprises three freezer vessels which process their catch into fillets at sea and two wet fish vessels which land fresh fish and sell them through auction.