Faroe Origin risks losing MSC certification

The Faroese fish processing company Faroe Origin may lose its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification unless the government allocates additional fishing days for mackerel in zone 5, according to the company’s managing director.

Jens Pauli Petersen, managing director of Faroe Origin in Saltangará, told Kringvarp Føroya that the certification could be revoked because the current fishing day quota does not align with the management plan. He warned that this would be a setback for the processing industry.

Petersen’s comments follow a parliamentary query from MPs Sámal Petur í Grund (Self-Government Party) and Fróða Magnussen (People’s Party), who asked Fisheries Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen about plans to address the impending fishing day shortage in zone 5 before year’s end.

In his response, Nielsen stated that due to good fishing conditions and subsequent assessments, the ministry intends to allocate additional fishing days this year.

Marita Rasmussen, director of the Faroese Marine Research Institute (Havstovan), previously told Dagur og Vika that increasing fishing days outside the management plan would violate its terms. The plan, developed in 2021 by the Fisheries Council, the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority (Vørn), and Havstovan, ensures sustainable mackerel, herring, and blue whiting fisheries. Under the Sea Fisheries Act, annual fishing day allocations must comply with this plan.

Petersen criticised the minister’s use of post-assessment data to justify the extra days, calling it the only clear contradiction in the current approach.