New Bedford, Mass. — August 31, 2012 — The Marine Stewardship Council has awarded the Atlantic spiny dogfish fishery its coveted "ecolabel" declaring it a sustainable and well-managed fishery following an independent assessment by a third party.
The certification was awarded Thursday to the Sustainable Fisheries Association, an industry group that includes Seatrade International, Marder Trawling and Eastern Fisheries in New Bedford, along with Gloucester's Zeus Packing.
"This is great news for everyone," said John F. Whiteside Jr., an attorney for the Sustainable Fisheries Association. "This is a product that is landed here, processed locally and distributed worldwide." The meat from dogfish is primarily consumed in the European and Asian markets, he said.
In countries such as France, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, the ecolabel has become almost a necessity in seafood sales, Whiteside said.
Spiny dogfish were declared overfished in 1998, requiring conservation measures to rebuild the fishery. The measures proved so successful that the stock was declared fully rebuilt in 2010, allowing regulators to permit much larger catches. In 2010, the annual catch limit was set at 15 million pounds and is now close to 36 million.
"This certification is recognition that the science-based management programs have been very successful," Whiteside said.
Many groundfishermen believe that dogfish, an opportunistic predator, are responsible for the dwindling numbers of groundfish species such as cod and yellowtail flounder, an assertion backed by fishery biologist Dr. James Sulikowski of the University of New England, who served as an external reviewer in the MSC certification process.
"It's not rocket science," Sulikowski said. "Historically, when dogfish populations were high, groundfish stocks were low. Fish represent 95 percent of what dogfish eat."
The MSC certification will benefit both the economy in Massachusetts and the ecosystem by helping to restore the balance, he said.
Sam Rauch, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's top fisheries administrator, said in a press release that the rebounding dogfish population was attributable to scientists, industry and regulators working together. "This fishery demonstrates the strength and success of the U.S. process to provide sustainable seafood to domestic and global markets," he said.
Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times