SPSG NORTH SEA HERRING

First certified in 2008, the North Sea Herring fishery is one of the longest running certified fisheries in the UK and Ireland and has since been combined with several other certificates. The PFA, SPSG, SPFPO, DFPO and DPPO North Sea Herring certificate was granted to fisheries by the independent assessors in 2017, confirming that European and British fleets outlined in the certificate operate sustainably in Atlantic waters.

The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) component of the fishery is a client group included in the certification and oversees a significant UK-based fleet of trawlers, which catch herring in the mid and surface water range around the North Sea. Midwater trawls help to achieve a clean catch through their precise targeting of herring, made easier by the tendency of the species to shoal. A report from 2019 showed that the SPSG’s total catch (37,539 tonnes) contained less than 1% bycatch.

The Atlantic or North Sea herring is a member of the Clupeidae family, a group of forage fish species that include sardines and anchovies. Small, silver and torpedo-like, herring are known for travelling in large schools in temperate waters. Herring from this stock are autumn spawners and are found most abundantly around the UK in Scottish waters.

Herring fisheries throughout the North Sea have been fished by both European and Scandinavian fleets for centuries. They have had a turbulent past, with significant overfishing occurring throughout the post-war period. This caused biomass stock to drop noticeably in the 1960s to less than 1 million tonnes. Thanks to careful management of the fisheries, the spawning stock biomass of North Sea autumn spawners is currently around 1.3 million tonnes. The ongoing commitment of the fisheries to sustainability since 2008 was evident in their MSC recertification in 2017. The continued conservation and management of herring stocks will help to ensure they remain stable in the North Sea region.