Saithe

In 2008 the first fishery on saithe became MSC-certifiedMSC Certified:
Fisheries that comply with the Marine Stewardship Council assessment criteria and are certified. Fish products with the blue MSC label are caught by sustainable fisheries.. Currently most of the European fishery on saithe is MSC-certified: 97% of the catches from the North Sea and the Skagerrak. Saithe from Iceland is also MSC-certified. There are several methods being used: bottom otter trawl, pair trawl, (increasingly) semi-pelagic trawl, purse seine, Danish seine, gillnet, longlines and handlines.

Saithe is vulnerable to fishing pressureFishing pressure:
Fishing pressure is a result of the fishing effort/amount of fishing on a stock, which determines the fishing mortality. Fishing mortality is the share of the fish stock that dies annually as a result of fishing. because this species becomes sexually mature at a relatively high age. After a period of recovery, the Iceland saithe stock has recovered fully and is not subjec to being overfishedOverfished:
A stock is overfished when the stock size has decreased so far that it can no longer produce a maximum sustainable yield. The size of the fish populations is insufficient to reproduce in the long term. .

Fisheries with gillnetsGillnets:
A fishing technique whereby passing fish get caught in the meshes with their gills. The net stands vertically on the bottom or hangs on buoys in the water column. The by-catch of species such as porpoises and dolphins is a problem related to gillnets., longlineLongline:
Also known as line fishing. A fishing method in which lines and hooks are used.s, and [purse-seines] is relatively selective but can have an impact on the sea floor and vulnerable environments. In addition, protected and threatened speces have been known to become entangled in these nets.

This fishery is managed by [catch-limit]s. In addition, Iceland has several other management measures in place such as minimum mesh-sizeMesh size:
Feature of a trawl: the distance between two wires in a triangle-shaped mesh. The mesh-size determines the size of fish caught in the net. s and temporarily and permanently closed areas. Iceland has one of the most effective managementManagement:
The regulations surrounding fisheries and aquaculture that ensure that production is carried out within legal frameworks and that sustainability can be assured. plans in place for implementation, compliance and enforcement. The Icelandic management plan for Saithe is sufficient to ensure a stock recovery to the MSYMSY:
Theoretically the greatest possible 'safe' catch, in which fish populations have sufficient size to reproduce in the long term.   level.

Fish in season

Fish in season is the best quality at that time because the spawning period is over.

Saithe is vulnerable to fishing pressure because this species becomes sexually mature at a relatively high age. After a period of recovery, the Iceland saithe stock has recovered fully and is not subjec to being overfished.

Fisheries with DanishDanish seines:
A fishing technique whereby one of the lines of the seine net/pit net is anchored. The ship expands the net with a moving motion and turns off when picking up the net. seines, [pelagic-pair-trawls], and demersalDemersal otter trawls:
A technique in which conical nets are dragged over the ground and are held open by large, square 'otter planks'. The planks also work as a plough, in which fish are hunted into the nets. otter trawls have a lot of impact on protected and threatened species, like sharks and rays, as they can be caught as bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards).  and can become entangled in the nets. Trawl fisheries also cause a lot of harm to the seabed and organisms that live on or near the seabed. In time, this can lead to changes in species composition in these areas.

This fishery is managed by catch-limits. In addition, Iceland has several other management measures in place such as minimum mesh-sizes and temporarily and permanently closed areas. Iceland has one of the most effective management plans in place for implementation, compliance and enforcement. The Icelandic management plan for Saithe is sufficient to ensure a stock recovery to the MSY level.

Fish in season

Fish in season is the best quality at that time because the spawning period is over.

Saithe is vulnerable to fishing pressure because this species becomes sexually mature at a relatively high age. This Saith stock is just within safe biological levels, but the current fishing pressure is still too high in these areas.

The Naturland fishery using demersalDemersal otter trawls:
A technique in which conical nets are dragged over the ground and are held open by large, square 'otter planks'. The planks also work as a plough, in which fish are hunted into the nets. otter trawls has an unknown impact on protected and threatened species, like sharks and rays, in this area. However the amount of bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards).  is supposed to be low. In addition, the impact of this fishing method on the seabed and the organisms that live near or on the seabed is lower than that of fisheries in other areas.

This fishery is managed by catch-limits. The management plan for Saithe is largely effective, mainly due to extra measures taken by Naturland for this fishery-project.

Fish in season

Fish in season is the best quality at that time because the spawning period is over.

Detailed fishery data are available, a quantitative assessment of stocks is carried out annually. This is a mixed fishery that also catches other species such as cod and haddock. The number of caught juveniles appears to be low. Midwater pair trawls are not destructive to the seabed. A management system is in place and is deemed partly effective.  The main tool to manage the harvest of fish on the Faroe islands is by effort control (number of days).

Most of the Faroese saithe fishery is MSC certified, this assessment is about the part that is not certified.

Saithe is vulnerable to fishing pressure because this species becomes sexually mature at a relatively high age. This Saith stock is just within safe biological levels, but the current fishing pressure is still too high in these areas.

Fisheries that use demersal otter trawls have a lot of impact on protected and threatened species, like sharks and rays, as they can be caught as bycatch and can become entangled in the nets. Trawl fisheries also cause a lot of harm to the seabed and organisms that live on or near the seabed. In time, this can lead to changes in species composition in these areas.

This fishery is managed by catch-limits. The management plan for Saithe is partially effective in these areas.

Fish in season

Fish in season is the best quality at that time because the spawning period is over.