Australia’s largest prawn fishery has been recognized as sustainable, according to the Marine Stewardship Council.
The council awarded the certification to the Northern Prawn Fishery this week, according to a MSC release, meaning the fishery’s products may now bear the MSC eco-label on them.
"Australians have an insatiable appetite for prawns particularly during summer and Christmas, and now they can enjoy them sourced from a certified sustainable fishery,” said Patrick Caleo, MSC’s manager of Australia and New Zealand.
The fishery operates 52 vessels that cover 771,000 square kilometers of tropical waters off Australia’s northern coast from Cape Londonderry in Western Australia to Cape York in Queensland. The fishery catches a number of species, including white banana, red legged banana, brown tiger, grooved tiger, blue and red endeavor prawns.
"What a delicious Christmas bonus for us as a fishery and for Australians who care about the best environmental choice in their seafood,” said Annie Jarrett, the fishery’s industry CEO. “We are producing some of the world’s finest quality wild-caught prawns and we are keen to continue to improve our environmental credentials."
According to the MSC, the certification took over a year. An independent auditor assessed the fishery, comparing its practices to MSC standards and principles.
"It is one of only a handful of prawn fisheries worldwide to have demonstrated they meet the MSC global standard and the first MSC certified fishery to supply banana and tiger prawns," Caleo said.
