The U.S.began a full assemsent of the Spurdog (Squalus acanthius) fishery today in line with the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) certification programme for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.

The fishery, which operates in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone of the Atlantic Ocean, will be assessed by an independent certifier against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. If successful, products from this fishery will be eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel.

This fishery includes the harvest of spiny dogfish in federal waters and the waters of seven states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina) using three gear types including gillnet, longline, and otter trawl.

The spiny dogfish fishery operates most months of the year, with the main market being for the meat in the EU.

Full story available here

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