SSMO scoops prestigious MSC award

The SSMO scooped a major national award in London this week for its promotion of sustainable fishing practices.

The Marine Stewardship Council presented the UK Ocean Leadership Award to the SSMO for its Brown Crab and Scallop fishery at a gala dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall in London.

Former UHI Shetland senior shellfish scientist Dr Beth Mouat said it was “an honour” to collect the award on behalf of SSMO.

The fishery impressed the judging panel with its proactive approach to ensuring a healthy long-term future for both species and the marine environments in which they inhabit. The SSMO first introduced voluntary closures in 2004 to protect juvenile scallops and sensitive seabed habitats.

Judges praised the organisation’s ability to respond to changes in stock, as well as having established harvest control measures, which were introduced to help stocks recover to sustainable levels.

The fishery works closely with the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Shetland who review catch data among other assurance and research functions.

The SSMO has also produced Wheelhouse Cards which provide fishermen with information on how to deal with protected species when they encounter them at sea.

SSMO inshore coordinator John Robertson said: “This is a pretty impressive feat for our tiny fishery. It’s really an honour which belongs to the shellfish scientists at UHI Shetland. Beth Mouat and Leander Harlow did most of the difficult work to get us through all the demanding requirements for meeting the MSC’s high standards, helped by some excellent research by their colleague Tanya Riley.

“It’s also a reward for the SSMO directors who have supported our involvement with MSC despite criticism from some of the fishermen and despite the costs and heavy demands on time.”

Lewis Tattersall, Senior Fisheries Outreach Manager, MSC UK and Ireland, said it was “fantastic” to see our small-scale fishery achieve such success with the MSC programme.

Continuing our MSC accreditation since 2013 places challenging demands on the SSMO and considerable expense. So far, the ongoing costs have been covered by donations and sponsorship for the SSMO which avoids the need to charge the 105 licensed fishermen.

MSC accreditation results in better market outlets and higher prices for Shetland’s callop fishermen. Currently there is no supply of MSC-certified brown crab from Shetland.