Seafood and Processing industries.
Norwegian ling, tusk and lumpish fishery now has MSC certification. (Photo: MSC/FIS))
Ling, tusk and lumpfish fishery obtains MSC certification
NORWAY
Thursday, October 12, 2017, 01:20 (GMT + 9)
The Norwegian ling (Molva molva), tusk (Brosme brosme) and lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery has become certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), with which 69 per cent of wild catch in Norway meets the high bar of sustainability.
The fisheries standard was granted after a thorough review and assessment of the fishery by the accredited third-party certification party, Acoura Marine Ltd. The certification process started in August 2016, when these fisheries experienced an increased demand for MSC certified seafood it from their key markets.
In particular, Norwegian Fish Auction AS (NFA) sought to get the lumpfish fishery certified due to a demand for MSC certified roe and caviar from the Swedish market.
Ling and tusk are mainly processed as dried stockfish for the Swedish market, dried and salted clipfish for the Caribbean and Latin-American markets, and frozen and fresh fillets for the Western European markets.
“We are pleased to have this certification in place – the project was a response to a strong push from some of our key markets, and we are now pleased to be able to provide them with the desired documentation” pointed out Tor B. Larsen, NFA environmental advisor.
Mari Nordstrøm, marketing & communications manager MSC Norway stressed that it is a consistent trend both in the Scandinavian and other European markets that consumers want to make better and conscious choices when shopping for food, adding that with this certification in place, it will not only provide opportunities for Norwegian market players to increase their assortment of MSC certified products.
In total, these fisheries caught 18.677 tonnes of ling, 14.798 tonnes of tusk, and 453 tonnes of lumpfish in 2016.
The fisheries are closely controlled through the Norwegian fisheries management system. As a condition of certification, these fisheries will also implement clearly defined Harvest Control Rules and put a strategy in place to manage the fisheries’ impacts on endangered, threatened and protected species.