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The Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association (PFA) North Sea Herring Fishery was today awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as a sustainable fishery. At approximately 180,000 tonnes, it represents around 40% of the total allowable catch of North Sea Herring and is the largest fishery in Europe to receive this status.
President of the PFA Gerard van Balsfoort, received the certificate from Andy Hough, Director of Moody Marine Ltd., the independent certifier retained by the organisation to assess and audit the fishery according to the MSC’s strict Principles and Criteria for Certification.
The award ceremony took place at the start of the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, in the presence of officials from WWF, MSC and members of the PFA.
“This certification is the result of an ongoing commitment by PFA members to ensure that the stocks they fish are sustainable, and thus available to feed large parts of the world’s population in the future,” said Mr van Balsfoort.
MSC certified North Sea Herring from PFA members will be available as a whole round seafrozen product, as fillets, and salted in barrels. Only limited quantities of the MSC herring will be available for the consumer markets in Western Europe. More than 90% of the catch is destined for markets outside Western Europe, mainly West Africa, especially Nigeria, and for Egypt and China.
“The basic principle of the PFA is the continuity of the fishing industry, and we believe that the supply of frozen pelagic fish to consumers must be in balance with pelagic fish stocks,” explained Gerard van Balsfoort. “To this end, our members have established a policy in which co-operation and the transfer of knowledge about sustainable fisheries play a central role and MSC certification is a logical part of this process.”
For more information please contact the PFA:
Gerard van Balsfoort
tel. + 31 70 336 96 02
fax + 31 70 399 94 26
mobile + 31 (0)6 51 411 431
email: gbalsfoort@pvis.nl
www.pfa-frozenfish.com
