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Cornish hake netters get international recognition

Posted on: 18th June 2015

Cornish hake netters get international recognition

After many years of work Cornish gill net caught hake is now certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. The application was made by Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation who represents the local fishing industry and organises quota for its members. 

Hake stocks in European waters are now healthy thanks to a European hake recovery plan which was brought in following major decline in stocks during the 1990's. the recovery plan reduced fishing efort and capped catches of hake across Europe and this has allowed stocks to recover to a point where the International Convention for Exploration of the sea (ICES) are reporting higher hake poulations in Northern European waters than we have had for over 30 years. 

Stock levels of Hake in Northern European waters from ICES advice hake, Northern, 2014.

The fleet of 15 over 10m fishing vessels based in Newlyn that fish for hake all use gill nets which are deployed on the seabed in deep water to the North and West of the Scillies. The nets have a large mesh size  of 4 7/8” to ensure undersized fish are able to escape. When the fishermen haul the nets it is striking how clean the nets are and how the only catch is hake. 

Hake are a fierce looking fish with large teeth that give away their predatory nature. They feed in mid waters during the night on squid and other smaller fish, (sometimes even eating other hake), and are caught during the day time when they can be found near the seabed.  They are related to cod and their flesh is white and tastes remarkably similar.

Recent technological developments have made offshore gill nets less dangerous to dolphins and other cetaceans. All the over 10m netters operating in European waters now have to have pingers fitted to their nets that make loud sounds that deter cetaceans.  Cornish hake netters all now use these as standard on all their nets.

Fishing effort for hake is controlled by quotas set by the European Union Common Fisheries Policy. This safeguards stocks and monitors the situation for this shared resource.  

Paul Trebilcock, Chief Executive of the CFPO, said: “This award is excellent news for our fishing fleet. In recent years the CFPO and its members have been working hard with scientists to improve understanding of stock abundance and overall population levels. In addition skippers have been working on ways to improve gear selectivity to ensure that it is only the mature hake that are caught and significantly reduce unwanted by-catch. These on-going efforts by Cornish fishermen have ensured that the top quality hake taken from this sustainable fishery has been recognised by the MSC".

Even without MSC accreditation hake gets a good score from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Good Seafood Guide and is a species that is recommended. “ Hake is fanstastic and makes a great alternative to Cod, please ask for it next time you visit your local chippy," said Matt Slater of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Find out more about good local seafood and which fisheries to support by visiting the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Cornwall Good Seafood Guide website www.cornwallgoodseafoodguide.org.uk

For more info on hake, their biology, management, stocks and sustainability click here.

Meet Alan Dwan, Newlyn hake fisherman in our video.

For more information on hake fishing visit the webpage of Newlyn hake netting boat ‘Ajax’ here.

Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is underpinned by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Fish Guide. The first UK consumer guide to sustainable seafood. For more information visit www.fishonline.org

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