Scotland’s Loch Torridon langoustine fishery on Thursday announced that it has withdrawn from the Marine Stewardship Council program.
At the request of the Torridon Nephrops Management Group’s (TNMG), independent certifier Intertek Moody Marine has withdrawn the fishery’s certification. The withdrawal follows the suspension of TNMG’s MSC certification in January.
The suspension came after fishing pressure in the area increased through additional creel-fishing boats being attracted to the fishery. Many of the extra boats has not signed-up to the fishery’s voluntary Management Plan Code of Conduct. The implications of this were identified when the fishery was being considered for recertification in 2009. As a condition of recertification, TNMG was required to develop means of achieving appropriate limits on fishing pressure either through a reduction in the fishing effort or through control of the landings within the area.
TNMG was unable to establish management control over the fishery or to demonstrate that the stock within the area was sustainable.
“It is sad to see a long-standing Scottish fishery leave the MSC program and I hope that the TNMG will continue their work to establish effective effort control in the area. The recertification and annual surveillance elements of the MSC program exist to identify important changes in fisheries and in this instance identified a risk to the stock due to increased fishing pressure and management control issue,” said Claire Pescod, MSC UK fisheries outreach manager. “The sustainability of the fishery is in the interest of all of the fishermen catching langoustine on Lock Torridon — both TNMG members and the non-member boats — and it is in their interest to ensure that there are langoustines available for this and future generations. I hope that, at some point in the future, we will be able to welcome Loch Torridon’s langoustine fishermen back into the MSC program.”
