A new label for fish and shellfish has been introduced to the Irish market called “Responsible Irish Fish”. The main aims of the group behind the label are to assist vessel owners achieve certification for their fish/shellfish, to develop a brand to allow Irish Fishermen differentiate their products in the market place and to promote Irish fish caught in a responsible manner.

The development of an Environmental Management System by BIM, with the fishing industry, forms the basis for this new label. The EMS system can be used as a stepping stone to various forms of certification depending on the fishery a vessel is involved in, such as MSC (which the Irish RSW and polyvalent sector has achieved for the mackerel fishery) or The BIM Stewardship Scheme which is a product certification currently under development by BIM. “Responsible Irish Fish” will use the BIM schemes to underpin the credibility of the new label.

The system implemented by the vessels is based on three main pillars of quality (ensuring good practice during handling and storage of the catch), provenance (the fish/shellfish sold under the label is fully traceable back to an Irish vessel) and responsibility (environmental responsibility).

The “Responsible Irish Fish” label aims to:

• Stabilise jobs at the vessel level
• Create new jobs in the processing sector by encouraging more demand for Irish caught and Irish processed seafood
• Give the consumer the choice of buying Irish while being confident in the origin of what they are eating and how it is caughtA new label for fish and shellfish has been introduced to the Irish market called “Responsible Irish Fish”. The main aims of the group behind the label are to assist vessel owners achieve certification for their fish/shellfish, to develop a brand to allow Irish Fishermen differentiate their products in the market place and to promote Irish fish caught in a responsible manner.

The development of an Environmental Management System by BIM, with the fishing industry, forms the basis for this new label. The EMS system can be used as a stepping stone to various forms of certification depending on the fishery a vessel is involved in, such as MSC (which the Irish RSW and polyvalent sector has achieved for the mackerel fishery) or The BIM Stewardship Scheme which is a product certification currently under development by BIM. “Responsible Irish Fish” will use the BIM schemes to underpin the credibility of the new label.

The system implemented by the vessels is based on three main pillars of quality (ensuring good practice during handling and storage of the catch), provenance (the fish/shellfish sold under the label is fully traceable back to an Irish vessel) and responsibility (environmental responsibility).

The “Responsible Irish Fish” label aims to:

• Stabilise jobs at the vessel level
• Create new jobs in the processing sector by encouraging more demand for Irish caught and Irish processed seafood
• Give the consumer the choice of buying Irish while being confident in the origin of what they are eating and how it is caught