Plaice & Lemon Sole

The North Sea Plaice and Lemon Sole improvement project began in 2017 and concluded in April 2023. During its six years, 48 different individuals contributed their knowledge, expertise and support to the FIP’s Steering Group, representing 29 different UK and European organisations.

At the beginning of the project, seven key actions were identified that would move these fisheries towards best practice and MSC certification. These actions underpinned the Action Plan for the next six years.

Summary

This fishery has shown year-on-year improvements throughout its six-year lifespan. By 2018, the improvements and data collected for the North Sea plaice fishery were substantial enough that it successfully achieved certification later that year, years ahead of the original timeline.

The lemon sole fishery continued to gradually improve each year, through the dedication of the Steering Group. In 2024, this fishery is now also expected to be ready to enter full MSC assessment.

Annual progress against each FIP’s actions can be seen in the charts opposite.

Next Steps

The work that has been completed as part of the Project UK North Sea Plaice and Lemon Sole Fisheries Improvement Project is something to be immensely proud of.

Progress over its six years has been significant. The plaice fishery has been successful in achieving MSC certification. The lemon sole fishery has completed most of the actions it set out to achieve, with some longer-term actions ongoing.

Preliminary scores for lemon sole now suggest it would pass a full MSC assessment. Further exploration of the opportunity to gain MSC certification by the fisheries involved is recommended. A full list of the remaining actions, milestones, and MSC scoring indicators for lemon sole, can be found in the Year 6 Annual Review, carried out by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management.

The plaice and lemon sole FIP is supported by dedicated experts representing a range of stakeholder organisations.

Participants

Centre for Environmental & Fisheries Science (Cefas) • Co-op • Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) • Flatfish • Hilton Seafoods • Lowestoft Producer Organisation • Marine Management Organisation • Marks and Spencer • Morrisons • New England Seafood International • Poseidon • Sainsbury’s • Scottish Fisheries Sustainability Accreditation Group • Scottish White Fish Producers Association • Seafish • Waitrose • WWF • Young’s Seafood