Bureau des Îles Anglo-Normandes

Since 23 November, the two fisheries of Jersey and Cotentin have obtained their third (2011, 2016 and 2023) “Sustainable Fishing” certification, an eco-label awarded by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international environmental NGO which has been fighting since 25 years, against overfishing for the preservation of marine resources.

This is the only existing cross-border certification. For this certification, the experts rely on three major criteria:

• the limited impact of fishing practices on ecosystems, “fishing which is done using pots, placed on the bottom and which do not move”, specifies Caroline Gamelin, fishing manager for MSC.
• The efficient and responsive management system with, for example, verification of the number of pots on board vessels, the compulsory use of escape devices for juvenile lobsters,
• And the good health of the resource

“MSC re-certification, … is an international recognition of our good practices, the continuity of our commitments towards sustainable and responsible fishing, better still, the opportunity to look for increasingly reliable management models” says Marc Delahaye, director of the Normandy Regional Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming.

Jersey is pleased and proud to have received a recertification of the MSC Lobster fishery jointly held with Normandy. Recertification under the newer standard required evidence of good management and quality research data. Ensuring a sustainable lobster fishery is a key objective for the island’s fishing community and one that is supported fully by the Government’s Marine Resources team.