The Marine Stewardship Council today announced Southern Brittany’s purse seine sardine fishery has entered full assessment to obtain the organization’s sustainability certification.
It is the first French fishery to engage in the MSC program.
The fishery is operated by Breton and Basque fishermen in the Bay of Biscay and the fleet consists of 18 fishing vessels; 98 percent of the sardines caught in South Brittany are landed at the ports of Concarneau, Saint Guénolé and Douarnenez and sold through the auction market either by contract or direct sales.
The sardine is not subject to quotas, but the Association of Purse Seine Fisheries in Brittany has established a license-based system to better manage the resource by reducing the number of boats and days at sea, for example.
“Over the years, purse seine fishermen have worked hard to improve the quality of their products. Thanks to refrigerated sea water tanks, the quality is guaranteed until the fish is landed throughout the fishing season. It is in this spirit that we embark on this MSC journey,” said Didier Le Gloanec, president of the association. “We hope that the certification will add value to our products and will give us access to new markets not only in France but also overseas.”
Bureau Veritas Certification will be the third-party certifier to assess the fish stocks, measure the impact of the fishery on the ecosystem and study its management system.
