Puerto de Celeiro’s entire hake catching fleet, comprising 22 longline vessels, has been certified to the Friend of the Sea standard. Together, these vessels provide around 30 percent of the hake consumed in Spain.
The fisheries and aquaculture certification scheme acknowledged that the certified vessels have implemented several sustainable fishing practices, such as tori lines for the prevention of accidental catches of sea birds and appropriate waste management policies.
“We hope that soon other Spanish and European fisheries will accept to be verified, correct their practices to reduce their environmental impact. It is fundamental for the future of the fishing industry to exploit marine resources in a more sustainable way,” said Paolo Bray, founder and director of Friend of the Sea.
Puerto de Celeiro was also recently awarded Spain’s food product prize “Alimentos de España” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, in recognition of "the trajectory and the new approach that this business group gives to the management of the production and commercialization of hake with a strategy of differentiation through sustainability and quality."
