Marine / Sustainable certification again for scallops and brown crab
A SHETLAND fishery is celebrating after being certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard for sustainable fishing for a third time.
Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO) brown crab and scallop fishery’s MSC recertification comes with the blue ecolabel, which is the world’s most recognised ecolabel for sustainable seafood.
The MSC said the recertification “represents the Shetland fishery’s ongoing commitment to fishing sustainably”.
It praised the ongoing commitment to “implementing management practices that have established healthy stocks and seen the fleet of small, family-run boats, as well as the associated businesses”, which would allow them to “enjoy the benefits of a stable, thriving local fishing industry.”
The MSC is an international non-profit organisation which sets globally recognised, science-based standards for sustainable fishing.
SSMO chairman Alastair Cooper said they were “relieved and delighted” to earn the recertification.
“Meeting MSC standards means we need to invest in good stock science and we achieve that through our partners at UHI Shetland and with invaluable support from Shetland Islands Council,” he said.
“Our scallop fleet is family-owned small dayboats landing the freshest scallops each evening from the same grounds they have fished for generations.
“The strong price and stable market arising from our MSC status helps keep the fishery viable in the face of rising costs.
“We can only hope that buyers will see the potential of our MSC brown crab – a niche product yet to be tapped into by the seafood trade.”
Landing creel-caught brown crab and dredge-caught scallops, this small-scale fishery consists of some 100 vessels that are mostly under 15 metres long and fish only in inshore waters, within six nautical miles of the coastline.
Shetland Fisherman’s Association executive officer Sheila Keith called it a “tremendous achievement”, with the recertification “maintaining this key badge of sustainability for scallops and brown crab for 14 years”.
“It means consumers know that the produce is sustainable and that the fisheries themselves are sustainable. It takes a lot of hard work but ultimately it pays dividends.”
MSC programme director George Clark said: “The SSMO brown crab and scallop fishery has demonstrated what a small-scale fishery and island community can achieve with this phenomenal commitment to sustainability.
“Not only are they catching some of the UK’s most highly prized seafood, but they’re doing so with the condition of the seabed and other marine creatures at the forefront of their operations.”
The SSMO also continues to work in close partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, in Shetland, to assess the local stocks and the fishery’s impact on the local marine ecosystem.
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