The Canada 3LN Division redfish fishery taking place on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland has voluntarily entered the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) full assessment process. Targeted species in the fishery are Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) and deep-sea redfish (Sebastes mentella). The assessment will be conducted by third-party certifier SAI Global Assurance Services and if the fishery achieves certification, its products will be eligible to carry the MSC’s blue ecolabel.
The MSC fishery standard is the world’s most recognized standard for the certification of environmentally sustainable and well-managed wild-capture fisheries. The transparent assessment will examine the redfish fishery’s impact on fish stocks and the marine ecosystem. It will also evaluate the fishery’s management process to ensure that it is taking all necessary steps to protect the ocean environment for future generations.
About the Canada redfish fishery
This Canada redfish fishery operates within and outside of the Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Division 3LN. NAFO is responsible for management and conservation of fish stocks that straddle waters inside and outside of the Canada EEZ. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Newfoundland and Labrador Region manages Canadian vessels in this fishery, both inside and outside the Canadian EEZ in accordance with NAFO decisions.
As redfish are both bottom-dwelling and semi-pelagic, fishers employ bottom and mid-water trawl fishing methods. Redfish are harvested throughout the year and marketed as frozen-at-sea, round and H&G. The main commercial market is Asia including Japan, China and Korea.
The total allowable catch for redfish set by NAFO in 2014 was 7,000 metric tons. The quota allocated to Canada is 42.6 percent, which in 2014 was 2,982 metric tons. The client for this assessment is the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC), which represents offshore groundfish fishing enterprises in Atlantic Canada. The GEAC member companies active in the redfish fishery are Ocean Choice International and Icewater Fisheries. GEAC members currently hold 97% of the Canada 3LN Division redfish TAC or 2,892 metric tons in 2014.
MSC welcomes the Canada 3LN Division redfish fishery to the program
Jay Lugar, MSC’s Program Director for Canada, said: “We’re pleased to see this Canada redfish fishery enter the full assessment process given its importance in Asian markets, primarily Japan. We applaud GEAC’s commitment to demonstrate the fishery is operating in a sustainable and well-managed fashion by seeking MSC certification."
Bruce Chapman, GEAC’s Executive Director, said: “Canadian producers anticipate increasing interest in MSC certification within some of the more discriminating Asian markets for frozen-at-sea redfish products, and we hope to meet and expand this interest among our customer base."
MSC’s Standard for sustainable fishing
The assessment will measure the redfish fishery against MSC’s standard for sustainable fishing which was developed over the past 15 years in consultation with NGOs, marine scientists and industry experts.
The standard is based on three core principles:
- Maintaining healthy populations of target species;
- Maintaining the integrity, productivity and resilience of the wider marine ecosystem; and,
- Effective management.
The MSC’s Global Impacts Report 2014 and Annual Report 2013-14 show that fisheries engaged in the MSC certification program are delivering improvements to the marine environment. Since 1999, those achieving MSC certification have made 575 improvements to their fishing practices, including measures to reduce unwanted bycatch of endangered species, restore habitat and improve scientific understanding of marine ecosystems.
Have your say
Stakeholder input is crucial to the outcome of a fishery assessment and all results are peer reviewed. Anyone can be involved in the assessment process. If you would like to bring information or concerns about the fishery to the attention of the certifier, SAI Global Assurance Services, you can contact Orla Minogue at [email protected]. The assessment is expected to be completed in eleven months.
Further information
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