Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is pleased to announce the first public posting of a new industry-led fishery improvement project (FIP) covering anchovy fishing off the coast of Morocco. The FIP is geared toward protecting local marine environments, as well as controlling and monitoring stocks. The initial FIP kick-off meeting was held in Casablanca in April 2019.
The FIP is listed on the Fishery Progress website as the Morocco anchovy—purse seine FIP. In addition to anchovy, the vessels catch sardinella, mackerel, and horse mackerel. The FIP’s goals include promoting a harvest control rule, improving data quality and quantity, evaluating overlap with other fisheries, and evaluating the fishery’s impact on the marine ecosystem.
“It’s great to see this FIP getting underway,” said Carmen González-Vallés, buyer engagement manager at SFP. “Like so many other FIPs worldwide, this project is designed to protect not only the natural replenishment of these fish in the water, but also the surrounding marine environment. We look forward to the project’s participants making these positive changes happen.”
The FIP is funded by several industry stakeholders and driven by sustainability commitments of buyers from the US, Europe, and Africa. Support of the Moroccan fishery authority and scientific institute, INRH, has been critical in establishing this FIP. Industry participants include anchovy suppliers Unimer, Gil Comes, Fatina Foods, Soglama Seafood, and La Monegasque.
“For La Monegasque UK, sustainability has always been the joint number-one priority, together with quality, and we are pleased that all is now in place for additional management and certification of the artisan Moroccan Atlantic fisheries which we use for our salted and our marinated anchovies,” said David Bataller, managing director at La Monegasque UK. “Our customers already have the benefit of a direct and transparent supply chain, and consumers value the known provenance of our brands. The expertise and guidance of SFP will ensure we can also meet all the future demands of consumers.”
Contact: Sean Murphy, Communications Director