This is the first Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification and represents half of the total allowable catch (TAC) of the stock. This fishery operates four trawlers in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait off West Greenland and has been in operation since the mid-1960s. Fishing in the area is managed by the Government of Greenland, who set the annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
Enforcement by the Greenland Fishery License Control Authority (GFLK) subjects the fishery to logbook obligations and an observer scheme. Mesh size for nets has a regulated minimum of 100 mm in the underwing and 140 mm in the rest of the trawl, which avoids bycatch, and discards are banned.
Greenland halibut is the most valuable flatfish species in Greenlandic waters, with most of the catch being exported to China and Japan for fillets, sushi and sashimi. In Europe, the biggest markets are Germany and Spain.
Gisli Gislason, MSC Senior Program Manager, Iceland, Faroe and Greenland, said: “The Greenlandic fishery client, SFG has made tremendous effort in getting key fisheries certified against the MSC standard. That applies for both their prawn, lumpfish and now the Greenland halibut fishery. By getting this certified as sustainable and well managed against the MSC Standard we hope it will be well received in the global markets, both in Europe and Asia.”
Lisbeth Due Shoeneman-Paul, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Royal Greenland and chair of Sustainable Fisheries Greenland, said: "Greenland halibut is an important fishery for the Greenlandic economy. We have received more numbers of queries from our customers about the sustainability certification on our Greenland halibut fishery. We hope and believe this MSC certification will be well received by our overseas customers both in Europe and especially in Asia.
