Independent certifier Moody Marine has suspended Marine Stewardship Council certification for Loch Torridon langoustines. Any langoustine, also known as Dublin Bay prawns, Nephrops or scampi caught in the area after 11 January may not be labeled as MSC certified. The suspension comes after increased fishing pressure in the area, as more vessels joined the fishery.
“This is an unfortunate situation and, while the MSC acknowledges the efforts the Torridon Nephrops Management Group (TNMG) has made, the long-term sustainability of the stock must come first. The recertification and annual surveillance elements of the MSC program are there to identify important changes in fisheries and in the instance identified the risk to the stock due to increased fishing pressure and management control issues,” said Claire Pescod, MSC’s UK fisheries outreach manager. “I hope the TNMG will continue to work to establish a robust management framework for the fishery with the long-term sustainability of the stock integrated in to their management practices.”
New project to combat sea lice
An environmentally-friendly way of reducing the amount of seal lice in Norwegian aquaculture is putting lice-eating wrasse together with the salmon.
Nofima (the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research) last week announced the launch of a large-scale research project to develop the knowledge and experience to attain a stable and predictable supply of wrasse for aquaculture. The Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund (FHF) will fund the three-year NOK 26 million project.
“The effort … is unique in both a Norwegian and global context. Norway is the only salmon-producing country that is using wrasse on a large scale to combat sea lice,” said Arne Karlsen, FHF managing director.
Chilean mussels gain FOS certification
Friend of the Sea on Tuesday announced that South American mussel producer Toralla has earned certification.
Through its subsidiary, Cultivos Toralla, the Chilean company farms of more than 250 hectares of sea and harvests 12,000 metric tons of mussels annually using long-line farming methods. The company respects the seabed by periodically cleaning under the mussel lines and the large volume of solid waste generated during the production process is treated at the lime plant where the shells are converted into a new end product and commercialized on the market as natural fertilizer, according to Friend of the Sea. Toralla also reduces its carbon footprint by shipping products by sea.
“Being part of the Friend of the Sea project gives our customers a clear message. Sustainability and social responsibility are our priorities,” said Sergio Leiro, Toralla’s generally manager.
