WIREDGOV

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification gained by Stornoway Western Isles Langoustine Fishery in April this year has directly resulted in a hat-trick of good news for the fishermen - with exports up 50 per cent, a new product launch and a deal with a major supermarket.

Young's Premium Whole Isle of Lewis scampi - the UK's first certified sustainable scampi - will be launched in Sainsbury's stores throughout the UK from November. Made from whole langoustine tails landed by the Stornoway fleet and peeled at Young's Stornoway processing facility at Goat Island, the scampi will be coated and packed in Grimsby. A deal has also been struck with Sainsbury's to serve Stornoway scampi in 220 of its cafes from this autumn.

John Nicolson of Young's Seafood in Stornoway, said:

"To see 'Isle of Lewis' on Young's packs in-store is a dream come true for me and a superb advert for the island. Not only are we seeing the fruits of our labour in the UK, our exports of whole langoustine have grown by 50 per cent. The MSC certification has truly opened up markets that without it we would never have managed to enter.

"This is great news for Young's and for all the fishermen who we worked together with to make MSC a reality."

The Western Isles Langoustine Fishery became the first trawl-caught langoustine fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery. Certification was achieved after a rigorous, independent assessment process which took 12 months to complete, supported and financially sponsored by Young's Seafood, which has invested around £1 million in the fishery to date.

Iain Murray, skipper of the Comrade, added:

"While gaining MSC certification was at times a hard slog, our work has truly paid off and we're absolutely thrilled with this latest news."

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"This is a timely and tremendous boost for fishermen on the Western Isles. It provides spectacular proof that gaining MSC certification can open up a whole new world of trade opportunities and has given consumers added confidence that Stornoway langoustines is a top-quality product from the most sustainable possible source.

"I was greatly impressed when I visited the Western Isles Langoustine Fishery earlier this year. The fact that exports have shot up 50 per cent in such a short space of time during the economic downturn is a remarkable success story and a real shot in the arm for the island.

"It comes hard on the heels of Scottish seafood being chosen for Bocuse D'or 2011 and many other Scottish fisheries achieving the gold standard of sustainability. Many of our fishermen are continuing to meet the challenge of giving their delicious produce the stamp of sustainability."

Young's, which invented scampi over 60 years ago, buys around £2.5 million of langoustine from The Stornoway Western Isles Langoustine Fishery per annum.

The Marine Stewardship Council certification process is based on an independent accredited assessment of the fishery against a rigorous sustainability standard. Independent and accredited certifiers, Moody Marine Ltd assessed the stock levels of the langoustines, the fishery's environmental impact and how it is managed. Following a peer and stakeholder review, the fishery was certified as sustainable.

At the time of the MSC certification, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, congratulated Young's and local skippers on their joint achievement, saying:

"I am delighted that the Stornoway Western Isles Langoustine Fishery has achieved this gold standard of sustainability. I want to congratulate warmly everyone involved in securing this fantastic achievement.

"This is a timely boost for our Western Isles fishing communities in these difficult economic times and it gives everyone concrete proof that when they are choosing Stornoway langoustines, they are buying a top-quality product from the most sustainable source possible."

Young's Seafood is the leading branded fish specialist company within the Findus Group and Britain's most famous name in seafood with a 200 year heritage. Seventy five per cent of Young's range is in frozen seafood and the brand is distinct from other frozen manufacturers in being entirely a fish specialist. Young's products range from family meals such as scampi, fish pies and its traditional Chip Shop battered fish to top quality natural fish fillets and prawns. Young's has a number of category-leading No.1 best sellers and in March 2009 was named by industry magazine, The Grocer, as one of Britain's Biggest Brands.

Young's has for many years been a pioneer in the drive to improve sustainability in seafood, developing an award-winning 'Fish for Life' programme built on its 'Ten Principles for Responsible Fish Procurement' which now guide all fish purchasing activity within the Findus Group.