The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has announced that the Ría de Arosa Galician Cooperative Society has been awarded MSC certification for its artisanal clam and cockle fisheries. The sustainability certificate has been awarded to the cooperative’s grooved carpet shell clam (Venerupis decussata), pullet carpet shell clam (Venerupis corrugata), Manila clam (Venerupis philippinarum) and cockle (Cerastoderma edule) fisheries.
The clams and cockles caught by the cooperative in the Ría de Arosa are now eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel, which assures shoppers and seafood buyers that the seafood is traceable to a sustainable, MSC-certified fishery.
The Spanish Ría de Arosa Cooperative, based out of Boiro (Abanqueiro, La Coruña), has more than 400 members, all of whom take part in environmental management tasks to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries. Motivated by recognition for the sustainability of their fishery and management practices, they applied for MSC assessment in 2009, with the support of the American Resources Legacy Fund.
The cooperative harvests some 20 tonnes of seafood per year, working from boats or on the shore. Clam fishing boats are small in size (about 5 m long) and fishers use a long-handled rake known as the vara larga.
The teeth of the rake are far apart enough to ensure that no clams below the legal minimum size are caught. Every 45 minutes, supervisors from the cooperative check the harvest and classify the catch by species and size.
When fishing from the shore, fishers work in areas that have previously been marked off, using a type of rake known as the sacho. Under this method, the harvest is checked and classified every 30 minutes.
The harvest is graded on the shore, and special attention is paid to minimum sizes. The activity is supervised by the technical team, the president of the cooperative, or a person appointed by either of these, and all specimens under the minimum size are returned to their natural habitat.
The Cooperative has also invested in a clam breeding cage, with the aim of improving fishery conditions.
The harvest is sold from the cooperative’s new facilities, which include a packing shed. This is the principal outlet for catches for both the regional and national markets.
1995 – 2013 Fish Info & Services Co.Ltd