MSC extended cod certificate for Russia’s Longliner Association

The Interregional Association "Longline Fishery" has extended the validity of its MSC certificate to four additional fishing areas for Pacific cod.

The Marine Stewardship Council confirmed the Association’s compliance with MSC's standards of cod fishing in the North-Kuril and South-Kuril zones, the West Kamchatka and Kamchatka-Kuril subzones.

According to the Association’s representative Vyacheslav Bychkov, the validity of their certificate for Pacific cod and white halibut fishery in the Chukchi, West Bering Sea and East Kamchatka zones has been expanded. He underlined that while the certificate was updated, its number did not change.

He also noted that work on expanding the scope of certification has been carried out since 2020. In 2021, preliminary assessment of the fishery was carried out, and in 2022, the comments were settled.

The association’s members will discuss the prospects of further extension of the certificate’s validity (to other types of aquatic biological resources or new fishing areas) this year. "We decided to start with cod in new fishing areas, since its fishery is better studied here. And then, if the members of the association will be willing to continue, we will work. For us, this area of activity is no longer new, it is quite understandable," Vyacheslav Bychkov drew attention.