The Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation's North Sea and Skagerrak haddock (melanogrammus aeglefinus) fishery was awarded Marine Stewardship Council certification following an independent assessment against the group’s standard for a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
The year-round fishery is within the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Area IV, Division IIIa, of the Food and Agricultural Organization statistical area 27. The fish are harvested by demersal trawl (including Scottish Seine), Danish seine, longline, gill- and trammel nets, and the fishery is managed through a total allowable catch (TAC) system. Inspections of the fishery (both at-sea and on-shore) are carried out by the Danish Fisheries Directorate, as well as EU national enforcement agencies and the Norwegian coastguard.
ICES provides the scientific advice for commercially exploited fish stocks in the North Sea. The Danish fleet catches approximately 2,400 metric tons annually out of the 41,575 metric ton TAC set for 2012.
The haddock are mainly exported chilled, but can also be sold frozen and filleted to the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
"The haddock is the penultimate in a series of different fish species for DFPO under assessment for certification to the MSC standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries," said Minna Epps, regional manager for MSC Baltic Sea region.
"We are happy and proud that yet another one of our fisheries has proved itself to be sustainable. This shows that our commitment to secure both today’s and future fish stocks are worth the efforts and we hope that consumers will contribute by making sound choices at the fish counter as well," said Kurt Madsen, DFPO chairman.
