VOD is not "Danish Seine" – and is not a low-impact fishing method

Dato:

19/12/2025

Full name

11 Jan 2022

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5 min read

Every time a fish is sold, the method of capture has to be listed — and that’s not just paperwork. It’s your chance to choose which fishery you want to support. But right now, an error is spreading that makes some catches look greener than they deserve. So let’s clear up the terminology before anyone manages to greenwash their way through Christmas.

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Use of the catch label “VOD” and “Snurrevod” (aka Danish Seine)

Every time a fish is sold, it must be accompanied by a catch label. And that’s genuinely a good thing — it gives chefs a real chance to decide which fisheries they want to support and what kind of future they’re subscribing to beneath the surface.

Put another way:

Choosing low-impact fish means choosing a world with less destruction of marine ecosystems.

But… there’s a small loophole we need to talk about.

The use of the label “VOD”

The term VOD is currently being used — incorrectly — to describe two very different fishing methods:

Traditional Danish seine (SDN)
– a genuinely low-impact fishing method
Flyshooting, also known as Scottish seine (SSC)
– not a low-impact method

If you want to dive into the technical details, there’s plenty of information out there.

But the reason we’re bringing it up now is simple:

VOD is being used as a stand-in for “sustainably caught”… and that is flat-out wrong.

In fact, VOD isn’t even an approved catch designation at all.

If the fish is caught with a low-impact method, it must be labeled:

"Snurrevod" (which means Traditional Danish Seine) / SDN

That’s the legal requirement — and it matters if you care about how we harvest from our shared sea.

Fish mislabeled — and often on purpose

Unfortunately, we see a widespread issue:

– fish mislabeled with the wrong method, and

– fish from gillnets and trawl bulked together and sold under both labels.

Both practices are illegal.

And honestly… why would anyone mix methods and mislabel fish unless the goal is to cheat on the catch declaration?

Low-impact fish is more expensive than fish caught with bottom-towed, destructive gear. An annoying reality, yes — but the only reason it’s still the case is that industrial trawl fisheries don’t pay fuel taxes, while you and I do. If they had to pay fuel tax? Bottom-towed fisheries would stop overnight.

So yes… big sigh… that does drain a bit of the Christmas cheer. But it has to be said. We can’t let people greenwash seafood. If we don’t call it out — who will?!