Nature's Market - Seafood

Fish is a beneficial source of protein and vitamins. It also contains Omega-3 fatty acids which prevent disease and strengthen the immune system.

Several certification schemes have been developed to assess and certify sustainable fisheries. Of those the Marine Stewardship Council is by far the most comprehensive and most widely used. Friends of the Sea, the Swedish certification body KRAV and the German certification body Naturland, as well as governments of a few countries, have also to a variable degree developed schemes for assessing sustainability of wild capture fisheries.
The Icelandic Vottunarstofan Tún is accredited by the German ASI for MSC Chain of Custody and fisheries certification. Tún has already certified several fish processing and sales companies against the MSC Chain of Custody Standard.  Tún has also certified the first Icelandic fisheries against the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. These are Atlantic Cod and Haddock handline, longline and Danish seine fisheries off the coast of Iceland.

Standards for sustainable fishing take several factors into account. The MSC standards assume assessment of three basic principles, i.e. the sustainability of the target fishstock, the environmental impact of the fishery (incl. fishing gear, bycatch and potential catch of endangered or threatened species) and the fishery management system.  Is is possible to argue that handline and longline fisheries (in which the fish “opts” to be caught) are more environmentally friendly than fishing by ordinary nets and/or trawlers. Accounting for use of energy is variable by standards.

Generally speaking it is assumed that one liter of fuel is required for each kg of fish caught. From a energy saving standpoint, in modern fishing more energy is being used to collect a smaller amount of fish.

Unfortunately, lipophilic, organically persistent, chemicals like PCB, have the somewhat disturbing habit of migrating from warm latitudes to colder latitudes. That’s why those chemicals bioaccumulate more easily in organisms at northern latitudes than in the tropics. Usually chemicals that bioaccumulate have little impact at the lowest step of the food chain. However, as we go higher up in the food chain, the chemicals accumulate and their impact increases. This is the reason why polar bears and killer whales have relatively high levels of chemicals like PCB in their bodies. People, like polar bears and whales, sit at the top of the food chain and can thus be vulnerable.

Supervision of the safety of seafood sold in Iceland is in the hands of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority.

Grafik: Symbol for Nature's Seafood market. Design: Signý Kolbeinsdóttir ©Nature.is