Cross-border Irish mussels limber up with MSC label
The blue mussel sectors in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland supported by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development NI, and the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine have been MSC certified as a sustainable and well-managed fishery. Subject to chain of custody traceability certification, mussels from the fishery are now eligible to bear the MSC's blue ecolabel.
In Northern Ireland the assessment was part funded by the European Fisheries Fund, European Community funding, investing in sustainable fisheries.
Fishing involves collecting mussels in mid-summer to early autumn and moving them to inshore, protected areas to grow. The mussels are then harvested from licensed and leased beds at any time of the year. The seed mussel fishery is managed as a joint resource and licenses for re-laying have been granted in both countries.
Continue reading the full story on www.msc.org.
