Posted on 31 August
2009 - Taulov, Denmark: Danish fishers in
a landmark decision today announced they
planned to adhere to the internationally-recognized
marine stewardship standards -- putting
a stop to years of overfishing and bycatch.
The Danish Fishermen's
Association declared that all fish from
Danish fisheries will be certified according
to standards set by the Marine Stewardship
Council by 2012.
"The Danish fishermen
are now taking a huge step towards securing
that Danish fisheries in the future will
be sustainable,” says Espen Tind Nordberg,
program manager for sustainable consumption
at WWF Denmark. “This is an announcement
we have been demanding for years.”
“Now the fishermen deserve
true recognition and support to implement
their ambitious plan.”
Only 52 fisheries are
certified according to MSC's standards.
Three of these fisheries are Danish. With
the objective announced today, the Danish
Fishermen’s Association aim to certify more
than 30 fisheries, which on a global scale
is a positive development.
Three of the most important
fisheries in Demark – plaice, eastern Baltic
Sea cod and Saithe -- are ready to enter
full assessment. Meanwhile, the pre-assessment
process is being undertaken for the remaining
fisheries.
For several years, WWF
has been promoting the MSC programme as
the most environmentally friendly choice
in producing seafood and now both consumers
and large retailers are increasingly starting
to demand MSC certified fish.
"The European and
North American markets are experiencing
a trend where the MSC certification is becoming
a market requirement” said Nordberg. “The
fact that Danish fishermen are now stepping
up to the challenge is good news for fishstocks
and marine ecosystems - and may also help
to boost Danish export of fish and jobs
in the processing sector.”.
However, the ambitious
decision from the Danish fishing industry
cannot stand alone. To truly document sustainability
of such a large number of fisheries requires
political support.
"MSC is the most
ambitious and trustworthy certification
scheme which is currently available, partly
because it creates incentives for the fishermen
to constantly raise the performance bar,”
Nordberg said. “But the objective announced
today will never materialize if the responsible
ministers keep deciding unsustainable quotas”.
The MSC is the world's
leading certification and ecolabelling program
for sustainable seafood, according to its
website.
