Fisherman sorting sardines by size. (Photo: Terje Engoe)

Portuguese sardine recovers international certificate

PORTUGAL
Monday, January 28, 2013, 01:30 (GMT + 9)

Since 24 January, all sardines caught by the National Association of Fish Purse Seiner Producer Organisations (Anopcerco) can bear again the ecolabel awarded by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Getting back this international certification was possible after a follow-up audit by the independent certifier Intertek Moody Marine, who found that the causes of the suspension, in January 2012, were effectively addressed.

The MSC ecolabel assures consumers that the product is traceable to a certified sustainable source.

The MSC had suspended the certificate granted to the fishery at the beginning of last year, after finding in an audit conducted in December 2011 that the measures to control this small pelagic catches were insufficient. Such controls are necessary to maintain the sustainability of the resource.

Furthermore, the audit of the International Council for Sea Exploration (ICES) found that sardine population had fallen below the acceptable level of sustainability.

In order to regain the certification Anopcerco agreed with Docapesca, the Portuguese Institute of Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (IPMA), and the National Association of Traders and Industry Products (ANCIP) various regulatory measures for the recovery of the certificate:

• The Ministry of the Maritime Affairs of Portugal approved several orders that impose a limit on sardine landings and a prohibition of fishing for each production region. Docapesca monitors compliance with these regulations monthly;
• A corrective action plan: the 'Management Plan for sardine fishery 2012-2015' was presented to the independent auditor and approved in April. It aims to promote the recovery of sardine stock and sets operating rules to be adopted for the period 2012-2015;
• A shared work with the Spanish government to adopt standards to control effort. Spain formally adopted the plan for the management of the fishery in 2013 and Portugal and Spain jointly presented this management plan and standards to control effort to ICES.

During the third monitoring audit conducted in December, Intertek Moody Marine assessed whether the conditions for maintaining the certificate had been addressed and concluded that all objectives had been achieved.

Humberto Manuel B. Jorge, Anopcerco president, thanked "all its partners for their work and effort developed over the last year that made it possible to get back the very much desired and deserved MSC certification."

He expressed "special thanks to all the leaders of Anopcerco associated producer organizations as well as to all shipowners and fishermen who have complied with the corrective action plan to improve the sustainability of the fishery with rigor and discipline."

Meanwhile, Nicolas Guidoux, MSC regional director, said, "Regaining the certificate is an evidence of the commitment of all institutions to improve the management of the fishery and eradicate the underlying causes for the suspension last year."

"We really wanted to hear the news for which all operators linked to sardine fishing worked in an adjustment plan," Jorge told Lusa agency.

"We no longer fished 20,000 tonnes of sardine in relation to the last five year average, but this reduction wasn’t a loss because the average price of sardine increased substantially," he added.

The fishery will be assessed again by the MSC in January 2014.

Related article:

- Portuguese sardine seeks international certification recovery

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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