The Danish Isefjord and East Jutland blue shell mussel fishery has earned Marine Stewardship Council sustainability certification.
It’s the eighth Danish fishery to obtain MSC certification, adding 5,000 metric tons to the more than 100,000 metric tons of Danish seafood already eligible to bear the MSC eco-label.
The fishery comprises four vessels, using dredges to harvest blue shell mussels. It operates in the Isefjord and on the East Jutland coast in southern Kattegat and the Belt Sea year-round but most intensively from mid-July to January. Products from the fishery are sold fresh and processed both domestically and to other markets in mainland Europe.
During the five-year duration of the certificate, the fishery will pursue its efforts to deliver environmental benefits, including a commitment to implement an action plan focused on the continued monitoring and documenting of the stock status and of the impacts on the seabed. The fishery is also seeking MSC chain-of-custody standard for traceability.
There are now 133 fisheries worldwide certified under the London-based MSC program.
