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MSC certification for the Argentina Hoki trawl net fishery. (Photo: File Stock/ FIS)
Hoki fishery gets MSC certification
ARGENTINA
Friday, May 25, 2012, 23:20 (GMT + 9)
The Argentine hoki (Macruronus magellanicus) trawl net fishery has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The fishery, which operates in the Argentine Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) and adjacent waters from 39° to 56° South Latitude, was certified following independent assessment to the MSC standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries. Products from the fishery will now be eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel.
This is the third fishery in Argentina to become MSC certified.
The client group for this fishery consists of the following companies: Estremar S.A., Pespasa/Pesantar S.A., San Arawa S.A., Yuken S.A. and three companies from Grupo Valastro, namely Atunera Argentina S.A., Pesquera Ceres S.A., and Pesquera Geminis S.A.
A total of 11 vessels are covered under the certificate and in 2011 the annual catch for the fishery was 70,000 metric tonnes.
Fishing takes place year round and the management authorities overseeing the fishery are the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries dependencies (Sub-secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture) and the Federal Fishery Council (CFP). The main products from the fishery are headed and gutted, frozen fillets, fish blocks, and surimi. The primary markets are Japan, France, Germany, China and Eastern Europe.
“We are proud to participate in the responsible management of this Argentine fishery, and sincerely hope that other Argentine fisheries receive similar recognition based on best practices applied by government authorities which seriously considers biological and sustainable parameters to establish the Total Allowable Catch annually,” says Daniel Rivera, president of Pespasa/Pesantar, on behalf of the client group.
Kerry Coughlin, regional director for MSC Americas, said: “Hoki is a very important species in the global whitefish market and it’s wonderful to see this Argentine fishery successfully complete assessment against the MSC standard and become part of a certified sustainable supply. The Argentine hoki fishery is the third to become MSC certified in the country joining the scallop and anchovy fisheries. The commitment by these fisheries and the management in Argentina serves as a great example of the potential for environmentally sustainable harvesting from oceans in all regions of the world."
Organización Internacional Agropecuaria (OIA), an independently accredited certifier, was the certifier for this assessment.
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