A group of four mussel companies in Wales last week became the world’s first “enhanced” fishery to gain Marine Stewardship Council certification as sustainable and well-managed. Deepdock, Myti Mussels, Extramussel and Ogwen Mussels — collectively known as Bangor Mussel Producers — dredge young mussels from the Irish Sea and transport them to beds in the Menai Strait.
Marine scientist and third-generation fisherman James Wilson of Deepdock talks to SeafoodSource about what motivated Bangor Mussel Producers to pursue MSC certification and how the eco-label will help the four mussel companies it represents.
Partos: How big is your collective fishery?
Wilson: Under a special license, we dredge young mussels (Mytilus edulis), known as seed in the Irish Sea. These seed mussels are re-laid on sheltered beds in the Menai Strait, where they are grown for up to two years. Each year we produce a harvest of between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tons.
What does the MSC eco-label mean for business?
We hope it will be positive. Currently everything we produce is exported, and we entered the process because many of our customers, who deal directly with retailers, were under pressure to do this. The market is well supplied this year, and it’s quite tough. We haven’t yet noticed the impact of certification. But there is a promotion campaign slated for the new year, and we are part of an initiative to connect growers with UK retailers.
How much did certification cost?
As a producer group, we had already done a lot of research so the costs were reduced. Over the years, we have spent a lot of time, effort and money into investigating our environmental footprint and how we could alleviate, or stop, it. But the final tally was about EUR 40,000. The Co-Op [a UK community retailer] kindly sponsored 50 percent of this figure. They’re helping fisheries to go with the [MSC eco-label].
How did you think about the MSC process?
The MSC process was very interesting, and we’ve had to articulate how we will work, for example, on bycatch. We have a bycatch of 1 percent — about 100 tons — principally of greenshore crab and star fish. We’re four companies and we work well together, investing time, effort and resources in science and research. The MSC process suggested that we structure our research. Delays in certification tended to come from the other end, for example stock assessments/risk-based assessments.
How long did the process take?
We actually applied to be considered for certification about four or five years ago, but the MSC said no because we weren’t a wholly wild capture fishery. When we applied at the end of 2008 they took us on, and the process kicked off in April 2009. We had an official end date of April 2010, but delays meant we actually received the label at the end of October. We’re the first enhanced fishery, so this also meant certain fine-tuning for the MSC in the certification process.
