• These awards recognise organisations with an outstanding commitment to sustainable fishing in Spain.
  • AZTI, Kofradia Itsas Etxea – Izan Arrantzale, and the Eroski Group are some of the organisations awarded in the twelve categories of this third edition of the awards.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international non-profit organisation that has been working for more than 25 years to make fishing a sustainable activity, held this morning at the Kursaal Conference Centre in Donostia, the 3rd edition of the Seas Forever Awards, which recognise the commitment of the entire value chain involved in sustainable fishing in the state.

This event, organised in collaboration with the Basque Government, was accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy, Bittor Oroz, who highlighted that “Basque institutions are committed to laying the foundations for a Basque and European fishing sector that is competitive and profitable, but not only that: we also want it to be sustainable from a social and environmental point of view. The Basque Country has been and wants to continue to be a benchmark in the world of fishing so that this practice is carried out in an environmentally friendly manner” – he added.

During the awards ceremony, Katie Longo, MSC senior scientist, gave a presentation on climate change and the future of sustainable fisheries, the importance of finding new and better ways to use scientific advances to report on fisheries management and sustainable seafood markets. Longo collaborates with scientists from other parts of the world, and has co-created the Ocean Health Index, developed tools to improve the management of data-limited fisheries, the economic and social impacts of MSC eco-certification, as well as detection methods for traceability of seafood products.

Laura Rodríguez, Director of MSC Spain and Portugal, said: “It is an honour for the MSC to be able to celebrate this third edition of the Seas Forever Awards in the Basque Country. Through the twelve awards that we have presented today, we want to highlight those companies and organisations that are leading the way in supporting certified sustainable fishing in our country. Behind each of the awards there is teamwork and we want them to also recognise the people whose involvement makes progress in sustainable fishing possible“.

Premios_MSC_AZTI

Award winners highly committed to sustainable fisheries

MSC wanted to recognise scientific and research work, which is essential for fisheries to improve their practices. In this sense, the organisation presented the Seas Forever Award “Promoting Sustainable Fishing” to the success story of AZTI, which is providing essential support to fleets that want to achieve MSC certification, both in the inshore and offshore fleets, through technical assistance, advice, observer programmes and the development of scientific campaigns that provide the necessary information to ensure the sustainability of fishing.

Other award winners were: Kofradia Itsas Etxea – Izan Arrantzale (Education in Sustainable Fisheries); Eroski Group (MSC Certified Fishmongers); Lidl Spain (Leading Supermarket in MSC Sustainable Fisheries); Dia Spain (Communication in Sustainable Fisheries); Aldi Spain (Track Record in MSC Sustainable Fisheries); Findus – La Cocinera (MSC Frozen Food Range); Alcampo (MSC Canned Food Distribution Brand); Skandia (MSC Refrigerated Food Range) and Frime S. A.U (MSC Catering Range).

World Oceans Day

The III Seas Forever Awards ceremony is part of the celebrations for World Oceans Day, an event that MSC celebrates every year with an initiative that this year takes place under the slogan Everything Starts Here, a message that MSC wants to communicate in its fifteenth celebration of World Oceans Day. A message that is being launched in 25 countries simultaneously, involving the fishing sector, companies, the educational and scientific community. More information here: World Oceans Day 2023 | Marine Stewardship Council (msc.org)

Latest news

Noticias relacionadas