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Red king crab. (Photo: Dr. Roger Mann, VIMS)
Red Crab King fishery achieves MSC certification
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Friday, February 23, 2018, 23:00 (GMT + 9)
The Russian Red King Crab fishery in the Barents Sea has become the first king crab fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
The certification was awarded by independent certifier Acoura Marine following a detailed assessment.
The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is also known as the Kamchatka crab or Alaskan king crab. It is native to the Okhotsk and Japan seas, the Bering Sea and the northern Pacific Ocean.
The certified fishery holds the entire quota for commercial red king crab in Russia’s exclusive economic zone and it has ten crab vessels using traps.
Scientists from the Polar Institute of Fishery and Oceanography (PINRO) make annual stock assessments using several independent methods. The total allowable catch is set on the basis of harvest control rules. Crab fishing is currently banned in the territorial waters of Russia.
“Congratulations to the fishery for becoming the first red king crab fishery in the world to be MSC certified. To become certified it was crucial that the fishery demonstrate a high level of management and, in particular, explicit harvest control rules. This will hopefully encourage other king crab fisheries to enter assessment,” said Camiel Derichs, MSC Regional Director Europe.
On his part, Sergey Nesvetov, Executive Director of North West Fishing Consortium said: “Several companies that are part of North-West Fishing Consortium are members of Association of Crabs Catchers of North. The work on this project has helped us to improve the management systems both inside our organization and in our fisheries. Through the process of becoming MSC certified, we now better understand the environmental impacts of our activities.”
“The existing fishery management system in Russia, fixing quotas for biological resources for bona fide users (the so-called "historical principle"), encourages fishermen to take good care of the resource, considering the stock status as a key element of sustainable, long-term business development,” he added.
He also said they have started a pre-assessment of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery in the Barents Sea, and expressed his hope on completing this process successfully.
editorial@seafood.media
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