May 7, 2019 — All three Marine Stewardship Council-certified herring fisheries in Atlantic Canada have lost their MSC-sustainability certification as the forage fish continues to struggle.
Last week, the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia voluntarily suspended its MSC certification on behalf of the 10 companies that operate an 11-vessel fleet of herring purse seiners primarily out of southwestern Nova Scotia.
The suspension means product can no longer be sold with the MSC blue check mark, which assures consumers the fisheries are sustainably managed.
The Seafood Producers Association did not respond to a request for comment on its decision to suspend its MSC certification.
In 2015, herring fisheries in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia were the first gillnet herring fisheries in the world to achieve the certification.