IBERIAN SARDINE REGAINS MSC CERTIFICATION

Iberian sardine regains MSC certification: a milestone for sustainable fishing in Spain and Portugal. Purse seine fishing fleets from Spain and Portugal have jointly achieved Marine Stewardship Council certification for Iberian sardines from the Atlantic coast, the first fishery to do so through such an alliance.

MSC certification recognises both fleets’ commitment to sustainability and assures consumers that Iberian sardines come from environmentally sustainable sources. Following its certification, Iberian sardines can now be sold with the blue MSC ecolabel in the UK alongside Cornish sardines, which have been MSC certified since 2010.

This achievement has been possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of the entire sector’s value chain, including fishers, the processing industry and distributors. Included in the certificate are 317 vessels, 132 of them Portuguese and 185 Spanish, as well as 15 fisheries producer organisations from Spain and Portugal, and three key associations of the Portuguese food industry.

For shoppers in the UK, MSC Senior Commercial for the UK & Ireland, Seth McCurry explains:

“The certification of this new fishery presents an opportunity to see more sustainable sardine choices in UK supermarkets. The Cornish sardine fishery has been the only certified source of sardines for a number of years, and we have seen premium canned sardine products in Tesco and Aldi. With a new supply coming in from Southern Europe, we could start to see more products appear on shelves with the blue MSC ecolabel in the near future.”

The Iberian sardine is a key resource for Portugal and Spain, with a presence from the Bay of Biscay to the Strait of Gibraltar. In 2025, Portugal’s quota of Iberian sardines will be 34,406 tonnes and Spain’s will be 17,332 tonnes. The fishing season began in March in Spain, and will likely last until August or September, while in Portugal it began in April and typically ends in November or December.

The Portuguese fleet was previously certified sustainable but was suspended from the MSC’s programme in 2014 over challenges in stock management. Since then, significant improvements have been made, notably the new multi-annual management plan, valid until 2026, agreed in 2021 between Portugal and Spain. This plan regulates annual catches, closed season periods, and limits on juvenile fishing, among other measures, to ensure sustainable and coordinated management of this shared resource.

In 2010, Portugal created the Sardine Monitoring Commission, a key body bringing together scientists, managers, the fishing industry, and NGOs. This committee has been instrumental in the ongoing monitoring and adaptation of management measures, contributing decisively to the long-term recovery and conservation of sardines.

Alberto Martin, Spain and Portugal Programme Director for MSC, said:

“Congratulations to the entire Spanish and Portuguese fleet on this remarkable achievement. The fleet had to recover a stock that was in a very difficult state, and they showed great vision in doing so. This required significant sacrifices, such as reducing fishing effort, and the development of new tools including a management plan and precautionary catch control rules. Thanks to these measures, the state of the sardine stock is now significantly better than it was 15 years ago, when the fishery was first certified.

“Furthermore, the fleet is now much better prepared to respond to changes in the stock and to ensure that sardines remain sustainable in the future. I hope the markets will now recognise and reward this ongoing commitment to sustainability.”