Sustainability Vision
Investing in sustainability initiatives and embedding sustainability principles across the business is a core value within Macduff Shellfish. Our vision for sustainable UK shellfisheries is based on three fundamental strategic objectives that are inherently dependent upon one another and all heavily reliant on strong working partnerships with government agencies, industry professionals and scientists.
Ongoing Evidence Gathering
We believe that a robust evidence-based approach is required for any well-informed fisheries management plan. As such, a programme of ‘ongoing evidence gathering’ needs to be developed in partnership with, and trusted by, stakeholders, to support any future management decisions.
Well-informed co-management
Where intervention is required, ‘well-informed co-management’ should stem from this evidence-based foundation to reduce the risk of unsustainable exploitation or implementation of overly cautious harvest control rules. This should be adaptive and, again, developed in true partnership with all fishery stakeholders.
Secure Access to Healthy Suppliers
Continued engagement by industry in evidence gathering and the development of co-management is dependent upon ‘secure access to healthy suppliers’. This requires fishermen to become genuine stakeholders in the shellfisheries that they depend upon and is a pre-requisite to incentivising industry stewardship and genuine long-term partnerships being formed.