14 Mediterranean fisheries to undergo MSC pre-assessment process
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As part of the project, sustainability of seven French and seven Spanish fisheries will now be evaluated by independent certifiers and local experts.
Camiel Derichs, director for the MSC in Europe, said: “Analysis to date shows a lack of data, raising concerns about the long term sustainability of Mediterranean fishing.”
“These pre-assessments to the MSC Standard will be an important step towards helping fisheries understand what is required to safeguard Mediterranean seafood supplies for future generations.”
The initial assessment will evaluate the sustainability of the 14 fisheries, using the MSC Fisheries Standard as a benchmarking tool. Using these scores, action plans for improving the sustainability of the fishery will be developed by the fisheries as needed.
The fisheries selected for MSC pre-assessment were chosen to be broadly representative of fishing activities in the Mediterranean and include a range of commercially important species, including red mullet and octopus, hake or sardine. They encompass a diversity of fishing techniques.
Results of the pre-assessments will be available early in 2017 and will inform sustainability action plans to be developed by WWF in collaboration with the fisheries and fishers. Some of these fisheries may have the opportunity to enter full assessment to the MSC Fisheries Standard. ■