MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' toothfish fishery re-certified by the Marine Stewardship Council

The fishery, which was originally certified in 2014 for a five year period, is the only Falkland Islands fishery to be certified under the scheme.

The Falkland Islands longline toothfish fishery has been re-certified under the Marine Stewardship Council’s Principles of Sustainability, it was announced this week.The fishery, which was originally certified in 2014 for a five year period, is the only Falkland Islands fishery to be certified under the scheme.

 In a joint press statement made this week, Consolidated Fisheries and FIG said that outcome of the re-assessment for the toothfish fishery showed that management methodologies and procedures have developed since 2014 with an overall score improvement across all three of the main principles and no conditions attached to the certification.

Joint work by both CFL and the Fisheries Department in developing more robust harvest control rules, understanding the identity and origin of the stock in the fishery and exploring the impacts of fishing on benthic habitats have been key areas of work that will continue to evolve in the future, they said.

Over 50% of the toothfish fisheries in the southern oceans are certified under the MSC Standard, whose blue eco-label is a familiar sight to environmentally conscious consumers. (PN).-