EU Landing Obligation and MSC certified fisheries

What is the EU landing obligation?

The EU landing obligation requires all EU catches of regulated commercial species on-board to be landed and counted against quota. These are species under TAC (Total Allowance Catch, and so called quotas) or, in the Mediterranean, species which have a MLS (minimum landing size, such as mackerel which is regulated by quotas; and gilthead sea bream regulated by size). 

This new obligation comes in to effect in a phased approach during 2019.

Preparing for the EU landing obligation

MSC certified fisheries must comply with all relevant laws as a key condition of certification to the MSC Fisheries Standard. Therefore, the MSC is working with stakeholders to understand and prepare for this new EU law and ensure MSC certified fisheries can continue to be certified and maintain supplies of sustainable seafood. 

The seminar

The seminar – held on 6th December 2018 – brought together input from across the seafood sector with presentations from the catching sector, retailers, NGOs, science, and policy. Four key questions were examined:

1. How will MSC continue to provide assurance on sustainability, traceability and legal compliance once the LO is fully implemented in January 2019?
2. What does the LO mean for MSC certified fisheries’ conformity with the current MSC Fisheries Standard and how can the MSC ensure continuation of best practice in EU fisheries?
3. Does the current MSC Fisheries Standard adequately support Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) assessments against the LO and are there any adaptations/additional evidence required to incorporate the requirements of the LO into MSC assessments?
4. How can the MSC Fisheries Standard contribute to the CFP objective of gradually eliminating discards to achieve the successful implementation of the LO?

This path-finding discussion, led by a range of expert speakers across the seafood supply chain, helped identify gaps and opportunities for future research and engagement. Advancing discussions with relevant actors and taking forward further research and engagement will be crucial next steps in ensuring the MSC and CFP are mutually reinforcing instruments that can harmoniously achieve sustainable EU fisheries. 

A detailed report, including actions and next steps, is provided below. 

More information

Please contact 

Hans Nieuwenhuis, MSC Program Director, Benelux: [email protected]

or

Erin Priddle, MSC Program Director, UK and Ireland: [email protected]