Scottish pelagic fishers and processors trumpeted their environmental credentials yesterday.
The 10-year-old Scottish Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG), which represents those involved in the catching, processing and marketing of herring, mackerel and blue whiting, said it remained committed to developing its programme of responsible fishing initiatives.
Since its formation in late 2006, the principal goal of the group has been to bring all of its fisheries under the umbrella of the independently certified Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label scheme.
The north-east Atlantic blue whiting fishery recently achieved MSC accreditation, joining SPSG mackerel and herring operations which were already certified.
In volume terms, these fisheries represent an annual fish catch of about 250,000 tonnes.
SPSG chairman John Goodlad said the group should take “considerable pride” in its achievements so far, while Scotland’s pelagic sector could look to the future with confidence.
He added: “Our founding principle a decade ago was to ensure the Scottish pelagic sector was at the forefront of environmental responsibility and sustainable harvesting.
“We were determined to be leaders in the field and show the world that Scottish caught and processed pelagic fish follows best practice procedures at all stages of the supply chain.”
As well as its involvement in the MSC programme, SPSG is involved in a number of other responsible fishing initiatives.
These include a catch-sampling scheme aimed at making sure boats avoid catching juvenile fish.
Mr Goodland said: “The pelagic sector supports many jobs and is a significant contributor to the Scottish economy.
“With the right support, we believe there is good scope to develop new markets for our products – especially since consumers can buy Scottish pelagic fish in the knowledge it is sustainably caught.”