New Zealand’s hake, ling MSC certified 

Hake and ling from New Zealand have now been certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Each of the three New Zealand hake trawl fisheries, five ling trawl fisheries and five ling longline fisheries have been certified as sustainable against the MSC standard.

“This achievement is a testament to the New Zealand seafood sector’s ongoing commitment to sustainable utilization and their ongoing partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries to ensure these fisheries are managed for the future,” said George Clement, Deepwater Group (DWG) CEO, a non-profit organization representing quota owners in New Zealand’s EEZ. “The MSC certification process is not an easy one – it is both rigorous and open to full public scrutiny.”

“DWG is leading the field with their continued commitment to certify their fisheries to our global standard for sustainable fishing. Seafood lovers can be confident these MSC certified sustainable fisheries have proven that their stock is healthy, their impact on the marine environment is minimal, and that they’re well managed,” said Patrick Caleo, MSC country manager.

The three trawl fisheries for hake and the five trawl fisheries for ling are all certified without any conditions or areas flagged for improvement.

The five ling longline fisheries are each certified with three conditions which require DWG to obtain further information to demonstrate that its fishers’ interactions with seabirds are not providing any adverse risks to their populations. DWG is confident that it can provide the required information and close these conditions.

DWG has embarked on an ambitious program to obtain MSC certification for not less than 85 percent of the seafood production from New Zealand’s EEZ (amounting to some 29 fisheries being certified). With the ling and hake fisheries certified they now have over 70 percent of New Zealand’s catch from the EEZ MSC certified (17 fisheries certified) with a further 14 percent either under assessment or in Fisheries Improvement Projects towards MSC assessment.

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