Carrefour is the first retailer in France to offer financial support toward a fishery’s sustainability assessment. The company will be backing FROM Nord, the producers' organization that entered the Eastern Channel and North Sea sole fishery for assessment to the MSC fisheries standard.
“For several years now, FROM Nord has been committed to the MSC program, with the certification of the North sea saithe, North East Arctic cod and haddock fisheries, and the recent evaluation begun by the Eastern Channel and North Sea herring fishery,” Thierry Missonnier, FROM Nord director. “We were thinking about beginning assessment of the sole fishery to promote its good practices when Carrefour contacted us to support our approach.”
The Eastern Channel and North Sea sole (Solea solea) is fished using 10- to 17-meter fishing boats and trammel nets in an area located between the Belgian border and the Cherbourg tip. This artisanal fishery, 1990 metric tons in 2013, consists of 85 fishing vessels spread over five ports in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Haute Normandie regions.
“With strong commitments made with regard to the preservation of marine resources, Carrefour keeps contributing to the development of responsible fishing,” said Hervé Gomichon, Director of Quality and Sustainable Development at Carrefour Group.
The assessment of the sustainability of the target stock, the maintenance of the ecosystem and the effectiveness of the fishery management system, will be conducted by the independent certification body MacAlister Elliott and Partners Ltd.
