NEWS - Moody International
 
Strategic Alliance - Collarini Energy Staffing Inc. (CESI)                     Debut Certification in Motor Sporting Sector - Malaysia                     Royal Malaysian Police Certified by Moody International                     Moody International Bulgaria Superbrand Nomination                     Sapref External Corrosion Piping Surveys                    PEMEX - Creating a Culture of Safety                    Worldwide Management Conference                    Launch of the Global Account Management Program

NEWS
Language: 

Press release

21st June 2007

Norwegian cod and haddock fisheries seek independent eco-label

The 7,000-tonne Domstein Longliner Partners North East Arctic cod and haddock fisheries, run by Domstein - one of Norway’s leading fishing companies, are seeking assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) independent environmental standard. [1][2] It is the first time a haddock fishery [3] has sought the prestigious blue eco-label that, if awarded, will assure consumers the fishery meets the MSC’s strict principles and criteria for sustainable fishing.

The fisheries’ ten longline boats together catch 7,000 tonnes of cod and haddock annually in the Norwegian and Barents Sea. All of the catch is caught by vessels organized by Ervik Havfiske and is processed by Domstein Fish in Målöy, Norway.[4] The two companies have formed the Domstein Longliner Group to host the assessment, which will be undertaken by Moody Marine Ltd, a company accredited to assess fisheries against the MSC standard. Staff from Moody Marine’s Scandinavian offices (in Sandefjord, Bergen and Alesund) and UK Offices will carry out the assessment.

Rolf Domstein, CEO of Domstein ASA, commented: “The longline boats are highly selective and has minimal impact on marine habitats. We believe that European buyers will be very interested in certified cod and haddock from Norway, and we are ready to get started on the assessment process immediately.”

Rupert Howes, CEO of the MSC said: “This exciting announcement brings two of Europe’s most popular fish species into the MSC programme. Markets are increasingly demanding rigorous third-party assurance of seafood sustainability, and we believe this decision will bring real and lasting benefits to the fishery.”

 

Notes to Editors  


For further information on this fishery, please visit http://www.msc.org/html/content_491.htm and click on North East Arctic Cod and North East Arctic Haddock

[1] The Marine Stewardship Council runs the world’s leading independent certification programme for sustainable fisheries. Currently 22 fisheries are certified, and the North East Arctic Cod and Haddock fisheries become the 25th and 26th fisheries currently in full assessment. An additional 20 to 30 fisheries are in the confidential pre-assessment stage. Together these fisheries record annual catches of over 4 million tonnes of seafood (approximately 7% of the world’s edible seafood catch). They represent 42 percent of the world’s wild salmon catch, 40 percent of the world’s prime whitefish catch, and 18 percent of the world’s spiny lobster catch. Information on all fisheries in the MSC programme and up to date lists of all 600 seafood products bearing the MSC eco-label are available on the organisation’s website at www.msc.org.

[2] The Domstein Longliner Partners North East Arctic cod and Domstein Longliner Partners North East Arctic haddock fisheries will be assessed as separate fisheries.

[3] This is the first haddock fishery to enter the MSC programme, but it is not the first cod fishery to do so. The Pacific cod fishery was certified in February 2005 and MSC-labelled cod is available to consumers. Further information http://www.msc.org/html/content_1243.htm

[4] Domstein is a leading Norwegian fishing and fish processing company with operations in Norway , Sweden and Denmark .  Domstein owns 50% of Ervik Havfiske which is the larges longliner fishing company in Norway operating 15  vessels.  Totally Ervik Havfiske catches 12.000 MT whole fish of which 7.000 MT are cod and haddock.  www.domstein.no