Swedish mackerel fishery enters MSC full assessment process

The Sveriges Pelagiska Producent Organisation (Swedish Pelagic Producers Organisation or SPPO) has entered its North East Atlantic mackerel fishery for full assessment under the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) [1] certification programme. The fishery will be assessed against the MSC standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries, and, if successful, its products will be allowed to display the MSC ecolabel, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to MSC. 
About the Swedish mackerel fishery

The fishery comprises 29 purse seine and pelagic trawl vessels and operates from September to December. Its products are sold primarily on the Danish, Norwegian and UK markets.  Fishing rights are issued as individual quotas but fishing in groups of up to 10 vessels is allowed and common practice.
What the fishery says

Björn Lindblad from the SPPO says: "The majority of the Swedish mackerel quota and all large-scale Swedish mackerel fisheries are now in MSC full assessment. This is a clear expression of the Swedish fishermen taking a long-term perspective to safeguard fish stocks for the future generations. The strong demand for MSC-certified mackerel in the market place is a bonus. Sustainability, market demand and a fishing industry with a common goal - that feels good!"
What the MSC says

Camiel Derichs, MSC Manager for Northern Europe, adds: "This announcement by SPPO to enter full assessment against the MSC standard for their mackerel fishery is yet another demonstration of how seriously Swedish fishermen take sustainability. If certified SPPO will be able to credibly demonstrate the sustainability of their mackerel fishery, and I'm confident that this would be well received by their Swedish home market as well as abroad. For the MSC, the Swedish sustainability drive is reason to scale up activities in Sweden significantly in the years to come. I wish SPPO all the best for the assessment, and hope we can eventually celebrate a certification together! "

The assessment will be carried out by independent certifier Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Anyone with a stake in the fishery can be involved and DNV. If you would like to be involved, please contact Sandhya Chaudhury at DNV at Sandhya.Chaudhury@dnv.com. DNV expects to complete the assessment in 8 months.