Premium, Seined Whitefish

Seining works on the principle of encircling a school of fish with a single net. Seine caught fish, particularly demersal species such as haddock and whiting, are renowned for their high quality, as this method of fishing imparts minimal damage to the fish. It also has a low impact on the seabed and is recognised as an environmentally friendly fishing method.

Building on these advantages, a pilot project is under way off the coast of Cork, to promote the use of more selective nets by seine fishermen. By using the new gear, it is hoped that vessels will land larger, better quality fish, for which they will receive a higher return, and thus reduce their reliance on landing high volumes to maintain economic viability.

Sustainable fishing practices

The selective gears under trial exceed existing regulatory obligations for gear and minimum mesh sizes. Recent research has shown that the amount of undersized haddock and whiting in the catch can be reduced to very low levels using codends constructed in mesh that is rotated by 90º, in conjunction with panels of square mesh netting near the cod end, which allow small fish to escape. These features also minimise the turbulence inside the codend, which reduces damage and improves the quality of the catch.

Quality

A seiner typically makes 5-6 short hauls, called “Rings”, during a day’s fishing. Each ring takes about 1.5 hours to fish, with the result that the catch is only in the net for a very short time, in comparison to conventional trawling.

When the catch is brought onboard, normal practices ensure that all fish are handled and stored with care. Premium whitefish are selected from the final two days of the fishing trip. These fish are carefully handled and gutted, before grading, boxing and icing to rapidly chill the fish and preserve its freshness.

All premium grade fish are labelled at sea, to allow the product to be traced to source.

Onshore

Once landed at the fishermen’s co-operative, boxes of premium grade whitefish are re-weighed and labelled using an electronic, port based system, which can be integrated electronically to support the customer’s information chain. The Co-op can also pack to order for the buyer’s convenience, in single use, 100% recyclable packaging.

Customers can be confident that:

• Freshness and fish quality is assured, as only the catch from the last two days are eligible for the scheme;
  
  
• Fish are handled and gutted with extra care and are graded, boxed and iced well to rapidly chill the fish and preserve their freshness;
  
  
• Premium grade product can be traced back to the boat and the catch date;
  
  
• The use of selective fishing gear retains large whitefish and allows undersized fish to escape;
  
  
• Seine netting is environmentally friendly and minimises the impact on the seabed.

View/Download the Seined Whitefish leaflet (333kb) in pdf format below.