SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.
Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/79767
Global Retail The loss of mackerel certification has put buyers on edge. eco-label was still in place. "Our position is under re- view pending International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea 2012 stock assess- ment advice. However, we have no plans at this stage to stop selling Scottish mackerel and are currently using fish caught prior to the suspension of the MSC certification," says Hughes of Waitrose. Problems are expected to Divided loyalties I MSC suspension puts mackerel in unchartered waters BY JASON HOLLAND over catch shares, the initial effects on consumer ts abundance and afford- ability makes mackerel a firm favorite with tele- vision chefs and food writers, who go to great lengths to encourage con- sumers to eat more of these oil-rich fish. But the suspen- sion of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) status for North East Atlantic fisheries is testing the sourcing poli- cies of some of Europe's lead- ing retailers. Te MSC suspended seven mackerel certifications at the end of March after the EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands failed to es- tablish agreed quotas for the 2012 season within the given scientific advice. Te decision meant any mackerel caught after March 30 couldn't bear the MSC eco-label. While the move further the fueled long-running EU coastal state dispute sales were negligible. However, the cat was thrown among the pigeons at the end of June when two major retailers, Marks & Spencer (M&S;) and Sainsbury's, confirmed they would stop selling Scot- tish mackerel because it no longer bears the MSC mark. Sainsbury's Simmons says the Josephine retailer, which is the U.K.'s largest seller of MSC-labeled fish, will continue to work col- laboratively to "only offer" customers fish from well- managed fisheries. "In line with our own sus- tainable sourcing policies, we have taken the decision to stop sourcing mackerel from the affected fisheries pend- ing an agreement between the parties involved, which we believe is the only way to ensure sustainable supplies of mackerel into the future," she says. 42 SeaFood Business September 2012 ensue once stores' MSC stock- piles dry up. Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) Chairman John Goodlad confirmed a meeting will take place in the fall between the Scots' pelagic industry and the main retailers. It will be chaired by Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead. "Te meeting has been wel- Te loss of MSC status put both retailers in a tricky situa- tion with regards to their own strict sourcing plans. For ex- ample, part of Sainsbury's "20 by 20" sustainability program states that by 2020, all the fish it sells will be independently certified as sustainable. Nevertheless, other retail- ers have promised to stand by the product. Frank Green, Morrisons' head of seafood trading, confirms the chain will continue to source Scot- tish mackerel. "It's a high-profile issue, but we've not had any cus- tomer queries about the loss of MSC on the product. It's the same product that we have bought for a number of years — now with the ex- ception of the MSC label," says Green. Tere is a third band of retailers that will continue to sell Scottish mackerel be- cause they still have supplies that were caught while the comed," says Goodlad. "But the long-term solution to this is dependent on reaching an agreement with the Faroes and Iceland, and at this point in time it's probably looking as bleak as ever." Goodlad says that while the Scottish fleet is disappointed to be losing its MSC accredi- tation, "under no circum- stances would it wish to jeop- ardize the prospect of a good, long-term quota agreement in order to get it back." Less than 10 percent of the Scottish mackerel catch goes into U.K. retail chan- nels, he says. Ninety percent of the £110 million (€140 million/$172 million) an- nual catch goes to Russia, Ukraine, Africa, China and Japan, which are not spe- cifically buying it because it holds MSC certification. Similarly, Norway's main mackerel export markets are China, Russia, Japan and Turkey and the Norwegian Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com Continued on page 44 Jess Photo by Duncan Brown