The Orkney creel fishery, located off the northeastern coast of Scotland, has become the first fishery globally to achieve certification against the Community Catch Standard for Small-Scale Fisheries.
The certification, awarded following an independent third-party assessment, recognizes the fishery's performance across a range of environmental, social, and governance criteria, including responsible harvesting, traceability, labor rights, community benefit, and stewardship of marine resources.
Launched in May 2025, the Community Catch Standard was developed specifically for small-scale fisheries with the aim of providing independent sustainability assurance to buyers while simultaneously helping fishing communities demonstrate the responsible practices they employ and access higher-value markets.
The Orkney fishery targets brown crab, European lobster, and velvet crab, with around 85 percent of the Orkney islands’ more than 100 creel vessels participating in the fishery. Many of these boats belong to the Orkney Fisheries Association, and much of the catch is processed by Orkney Crab before being supplied to U.K. retailers and export markets.
"As the first small-scale fishery in the world to achieve this certification, the Orkney creel fishery is showing what is possible when environmental responsibility, social responsibility, and community benefit go hand in hand," Community Catch CEO Linda Wood said.
For the Orkney Fisheries Association, the accreditation forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen the long-term resilience and commercial position of the local shellfish sector.
"Revamped approaches to marketing and accreditation are key elements of our plans to rejuvenate the industry in Orkney, and our efforts are gaining momentum through results on the ground," Orkney Fisheries Association CEO Alistair Buchan said. "Our skippers have put in a lot of effort to get us to this point, so it is very satisfying to be able to mark this key milestone by receiving this recognition."
Orkney Crab led the certification process on behalf of the wider fishery after being acquired by seafood exporter PDK Group in 2023.
"To be first in the world to have gained accreditation to this standard is an exceptional achievement for all the Orkney fishermen," Orkney Crab Managing Director Paul Knight said. "It is also a tremendous opportunity to continue to promote the outstanding worldwide brand recognition that Orkney has. We look forward to exploring the potential new opportunities this accreditation could bring to all Orkney stakeholders."
Gemma Quilez-Badia, who is the technical manager for food production at NSF, which conducted the third-party assessment of the fishery, said the assessment verified compliance across environmental stewardship, responsible fishing practices, labor rights due diligence, health and safety, and wider social responsibility requirements.
"What makes this achievement especially important is that it shows robust, credible assurance can be applied in a practical way for community-based fisheries," Quilez-Badia said. "Certification gives buyers greater confidence in the seafood they source while recognizing the commitment of fishing communities such as Orkney to transparent and responsible practices."
Orkney’s certification was also supported by retailer Marks & Spencer’s Forever Fish program.
Wood added that the Orkney certification offers “a practical and inspiring example” for coastal communities, seafood supply chains, and consumers around the globe.
She told SeafoodSource there are 14 further fisheries currently going through the Community Catch certification process, including South African line-caught yellowtail, Indonesian pole-and-line skipjack, and British Columbia sockeye salmon, with more in the pipeline to join in the next few months.
“We are also hopeful that the Orkney fishery will inspire other shellfish fisheries in the U.K. to aim for recognition,” she said.
