In accordance with the MSC standard, the assessment will cover the status of the spiny dogfish stock, the impacts that the fishery has on the marine environment and the management system overseeing the fishery. If the fishery association successfully completes the assessment, which is conducted by an independent third-party certifier, members of the association will be eligible to promote their MSC certification to seafood buyers around the world.

The BC Dogfish Hook and Line Industry Association represents a group of spiny dogfish fishermen and processing companies operating in the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone and British Columbia coastal waters. The BC dogfish fishery is managed by the Pacific Region of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Michael Renwick, executive director of the BC Dogfish Hook and Line Industry Association, said:noted, “We are pleased to enter the MSC process at this time, as we believe the BC dogfish fishery has become one of the most closely monitored groundfish fisheries in the world, in contrast to many other dogfish fisheries. Parallel to the MSC assessment, a West Coast Canada and US dogfish stock assessment will take place. We are confident that this stock assessment and the MSC process will demonstrate and further strengthen the sustainability of this dogfish stock and ensure a successful future for our fishery. Certification to the MSC standard is especially important as we meet market demands for sustainable dogfish products, particularly in European markets.”

Brad Ack, regional director for the MSC’s Americas program, said, “This announcement demonstrates British Columbia’s continuing commitment to ensuring sustainability throughout the fishing sector. We appreciate the interest in sustainable fishing that the Dogfish Hook and Line Industry Association is showing by engaging in the MSC assessment process.”

Five other BC fisheries are currently undergoing assessment against the MSC standard—BC chum salmon, BC pink salmon, BC sockeye salmon, Canadian Pacific halibut and Pacific hake.

Over the past few years, the dogfish hook and line fleet has typically been 30 or fewer vessels. During the fishing year of April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008, 3,037 metric tons of dogfish were landed by the fleet, principally caught by longline.

The spiny dogfish, also known by its Latin name of Squalus acanthias, is a small demersal (bottom-dwelling) shark species found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Atlantic, as well as in the Western Pacific and the Eastern Pacific. Off western North America, two coastal stocks are recognised—one in Puget Sound and one in Strait of Georgia—along with one offshore, larger stock centered primarily off Washington and British Columbia but extending south into California waters and north into Alaska.

The assessment process for the spiny dogfish fishery, which is being conducted by independent certifier TAVEL Certification, Inc., is estimated to take 12 to 18 months. As with every assessment against the MSC standard, input from external stakeholders will be included to ensure that all relevant knowledge about the fishery is taken into account.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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