Vessels catching mackerel around the Scottish coast have been awarded certification by the Marine Stewardship Council, recognising that their landings are from well-managed stocks.

This follows the certification of North Sea herring last year as a well managed stock that people can eat without fear that they are destroying the stock or destroying other species as by-catch.

The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group is responsible for Scotland’s largest individual catches of fish.  They landed  95,700 tons of mackerel in 2007.  Smoked, frozen and fresh mackerel will soon be on sale bearing the MSC logo meaning that it can be traced back to the independently certified SPSG fishery.

John Goodlad, chairman of the Group, said:   “This is another defining moment for the Scottish pelagic industry as it establishes its environmentally responsible credentials.”
Continue reading ‘Eco-label awarded to UK mackerel fishery’