Biomar, Young’s, Asda pledge to stop purchasing pelagic species if catch remains unsustainable

Multiple members of the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) including Skretting, Asda, Biomar, and Young’s have vowed to stop buying pelagic species sourced from the Northeast Atlantic if coastal states can’t reach an agreement on sustainable total allowable catches.   

NAPA, a collective of 50 retailers and supply chain businesses including wholesalers, foodservice businesses, aquaculture producers, feed companies, and more, recently launched its 2023 Coastal States Campaign in a bid to drive political will for cooperative decision making on sustainable pelagic total allowable catches. NAPA was formed in 2019 in response to the ongoing dispute over quota allocations, which have led to downgrades of species sustainability metrics and the loss of Marine Stewardship Council certifications for North Atlantic mackerel, Northeast Atlantic spring spawning herring, and blue whiting.

“Coastal States, the future of Northeast Atlantic fish stocks is in your hands. What will it take for you to back the drive for sustainable seafood and well-managed fisheries, and land solutions?” NAPA said in a  joint letter to policymakers in the U.K., E.U., Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Russia.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) recently released its advisory total allowable catch for the Northeast Atlantic spring spawning herring stock, advising big cuts to keep the stock sustainable. According to ICES, the quota needs to be cut at least 44 percent compared to the allowable catch it advised in 2023.

ICES has advised such cuts in the past, but failed negotiations between coastal states that share access to the stock has continually pushed the total catch well above the scientific advice.

Multiple companies signed on to the latest NAPA letter, saying ... 

Photo courtesy of iStock/Paolo Cipriani