Lisbon, Nov. 28, 2024 (Lusa) - Only 3% of the fish consumed in Portugal has a sustainability label, which represents more than 16,000 tonnes, a total of 445 products and 72 companies with active certification, but sardines could boost these figures.
The conclusion comes from the MSC - Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organisation with a presence in Portugal, which distinguishes the efforts of fleets to protect the oceans and marine life by awarding a ‘blue label’ to products caught in a sustainable way.
"In Portugal we have 445 products with the blue label and 72 companies with active certification [of the MSC chain of custody]. However, this represents only 3% of the total fish consumed in Portugal," or more than 16,000 tonnes, revealed the Iberian director of the MSC, Alberto Martín, in an interview with Lusa.
Chain of custody certification allows companies to handle and commercialise certified fish. Fishery certification, on the other hand, is the most difficult MSC standard to achieve, as the auditing process alone takes around a year.
The process, which is conducted by an external auditor, assesses almost 30 indicators, divided into three groups - the first takes into account, for example, whether the state of the species is good and the second whether the fishing has significant and irreversible environmental impacts, while the third assesses governance.
If they fulfil these requirements, the companies receive certification. However, the certification is ‘valid’ for five years and every year the auditors will check the progress of the fishery in question.
Alberto Martín said that 90% of the fisheries that achieve certification still have to make some improvements.
If the fishery is one year late in implementing these improvements, it can continue with the certification, but if it is two years late, a suspension applies.
"After five years they have to start the process all over again. Fisheries are not static, they can change over time. With phenomena like climate change, which are having an impact over time, [fisheries] can have different scenarios that change their parameters," he explained.
In the Portuguese market, the most common certified species are cod, hake, pollock, tuna and salmon.
For his part, MSC's senior programme developer for Portugal, Rodrigo Sengo, pointed out that "there is still a lot to be done" in relation to species such as cod, given the country's tradition of consumption.
Canned tuna, on the other hand, "is not easy to work with", since, despite the availability of the raw material, its integration into the markets is challenging.
Although it represents 3% of the fish consumed in Portugal, the MSC blue label is growing in this market and could be boosted by the sardine, when this species regains its certification.
However, until next summer, when the sardine should have completed part of the process, it is too early to make projections about the growth of this percentage since a ‘clear picture’ of what might happen will not yet be available.
In the period 2023/24, 237 products with the blue label were exported, mainly to "the market of nostalgia" - Luxembourg, France, Germany and also Brazil - representing 57,000 tonnes and generating €45 million.
On average, each Portuguese person consumes 55kg of fish every year.
According to an MSC study, which interviewed 27,000 people around the world, in Portugal 75% of those interviewed support the need to switch to more sustainable sources.
In 2024, 46% of Portuguese consumers recognised the MSC's blue label, compared to 41% in 2020.
To raise awareness of the importance of sustainable fishing to guarantee the availability of fish for future generations, the MSC promotes initiatives such as Mar Para Sempre (Sea Forever) week, which this year was attended by former footballer and current shipowner Fábio Coentrão.
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