The Catch Certification Program Operations Center officially opened in Tignish, Prince Edward Island, on Tuesday.
Canada’s Catch Certification Office, which became fully operational on 13 June, responds to export market requirements for the traceability of seafood. The program was created in response to the European Union’s new law designed to clamp down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, enacted in January 2010. The law requires that seafood products exported to the EU be accompanied by a catch certificate.
New market demands for information about seafood products are being driven by increased consumer awareness of the origin and safety of food as well as international efforts to promote legal and sustainable fishing practices, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which made the announcement.
“Establishing the office in PEI has created new jobs for Islanders and maintained the service excellence expected by our clients,” said Gail Shea, Canada’s national revenue minister and former fisheries minister. “Not only does this new office benefit the community of Tignish, but it also benefits fish harvesters by ensuring the long-term economic prosperity of their industry.”
