The Suriname Atlantic seabob shrimp fishery is one step closer to receiving Marine Stewardship Council sustainability certification, the London-based organization announced on Monday. This would be the first Suriname fishery to earn the distinction.
The certification was opposed by numerous parties concerned that the assessment had been based on a flawed stock definition and that the Suriname stock could not be treated separately from the neighboring Guyana stock. But an independent adjudicator has accepted the certifier’s science-based working hypothesis of a distinct Surinamese stock.
The Atlantic seabob (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) is a small-sized short-lived shrimp. The fishery occurs in Suriname coastal waters and is located within the Guyana-Brazil Large Marine Ecosystem. Using twin-rigged otter trawls, the fishery runs year-round and is carried out by two companies, Heiploeg Suriname and Namoona/SAIL, using 20 licenses. Annual landings come in at about 10,000 metric tons, which is more than 90 percent of total Suriname seabob landings.
The two-year assessment was carried out by independent certifier Food Certification International Ltd.
