What Is MSC Certified: Guide to Sustainable Fishing
Sustainability is a major issue in the world of seafood. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an internationally recognized nonprofit auditing body that certifies sustainable fisheries1. Founded in 1997, the council's main purpose is to ensure that seafood is responsibly sourced.
MSC helps promote sustainable fishing businesses. Products bearing the MSC blue fish eco-label show they come from a fishery that meets the MSC's standards for sustainable fishing. This allows buyers to choose eco-friendly options, participate in the fight against overfishing, and support marine health.
If you want to know more about sustainable fishing and fisheries, keep reading. I’ll dive into what it means to be MSC certified and where this body operates in the world. If all this sustainability talk nets you a craving for fish, shrimp, or other seafood, check out our list of best pescatarian meal delivery services – they only work with the best ingredients!
What Is MSC Certified?
MSC’s job is to ensure seafood is responsibly sourced, protecting ocean ecosystems and fish stocks. The Council operates in over 40 countries in key regions, including North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Oceania, Latin America, Africa, and the Arctic and High Seas. It collaborates with local fisheries, governments, non-profits, and other stakeholders in each region to promote sustainable fishing practices and ensure marine biodiversity conservation.
The certification process ensures fisheries meet 3 core principles:
Healthy fish stocks: Fishing must be conducted at levels that allow fish populations to remain productive and sustainable.
Minimal environmental impact: The fishery must minimize bycatch and avoid practices that damage marine ecosystems.
Effective management: Fisheries need robust management systems that comply with local, national, and international laws to maintain sustainability.
Besides fishery certification, MSC provides chain-of-custody certification, ensuring products are tracked from ocean to shelf. It also collaborates with governments, NGOs, and industry to improve practices, promotes policy reforms, and educates consumers on sustainable choices.
The Blue Label
The MSC's famous blue label is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability. When you choose a blue-labeled product, you support long-term ocean health and the global effort to reduce overfishing2.
As the increase for certified sustainable options is on the rise, products with the MSC blue label are in high demand at a global level. So, it’s safe to say that the blue label gives producers better access to international markets.
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In essence, the MSC blue label signifies a movement toward a sustainable future, protecting the oceans while empowering consumers and encouraging responsible practices across the seafood supply chain.
Why Is MSC Certification Important?
The MSC-certified meaning is a holistic approach to sustainable fishing that delivers environmental, economic, and social benefits3.
From an environmental standpoint, MSC plays a crucial role in protecting marine biodiversity. Certified fisheries must adhere to rigorous standards that prevent overfishing and ensure healthy fish populations. This ensures that the oceans sustain life and provide resources for future generations.
Economically, MSC certification connects local fisheries with premium global markets and provides opportunities for partnerships with major retailers and food brands. Since consumers trust the blue label, certified products can be sold at higher prices, making it easier for businesses to differentiate their products in competitive markets.
Lastly, fishing supports millions of livelihoods, and MSC certification protects their resources and way of life4. By encouraging responsible management of fisheries, the MSC helps secure long-term jobs and economic stability for fishers and their families5.
The certification also emphasizes ethical fishing practices, ensuring that workers are treated fairly and that fishing operations comply with international labor standards.
Who Can Get MSC Certified?
The MSC program is open to fisheries of all sizes and across various fishing techniques, as long as they are wild-capture. Only commercial fishing operations that harvest fish directly from natural environments – whether in coastal or offshore waters – can be certified.
Fisheries that rely on aquaculture (farmed fish) are not eligible for MSC certification, although certain “enhanced fisheries” that combine wild capture with limited aquaculture practices may qualify if they meet additional criteria.
Once a fishery is MSC certified, every step along the seafood supply chain must be verified to ensure that the sustainable catch remains distinct from non-certified products. This is achieved through the MSC Chain of Custody certification (CoC), which applies to a wide range of businesses, including:
Processors: Companies that handle and process seafood products can obtain chain-of-custody certification to confirm that the products they process originate from MSC-certified fisheries.
Wholesalers and retailers: Businesses involved in the distribution and sale of seafood must be certified to maintain the integrity and traceability of the MSC-certified products.
Restaurants and food service providers: Establishments that serve seafood benefit from having an MSC Chain of Custody certification. This gives consumers confidence that the dishes they enjoy come from sustainable sources.
MSC applies a double standard to ensure everyone is committed to sustainability. Fisheries that want the certification must adhere to strict environmental standards that protect fish stocks and marine ecosystems6.
On the other hand, businesses need the MSC Chain of Custody certification to prove that sustainable practices are maintained throughout the supply chain.
How to Get MSC Certified
The certification process for a fishery can take between 12 and 18 months, and you’ll have to go through several steps, as listed below:
Step 1: Preliminary Assessment
This first step is designed to review your fishery’s current operations, management practices, and overall sustainability performance.
During this phase, you need to find out if:
The fish populations are being harvested at sustainable levels.
Your fishing practices minimize harm to marine ecosystems.
Your management framework complies with local and international regulations.
If you feel lost amidst all the rules and regulations, ask for help from your local MSC representative – they are happy to provide all the necessary information. Also, on the MSC website, you can find case studies, frequently asked questions and downloadable materials that offer practical insights into the certification process7.
Overall, the purpose of this self-evaluation is to determine if your current practices meet the core principles of sustainable fishing as outlined in the MSC Fisheries Standard8.
Step 2: Full Assessment
If you consider you’re ready to start the certification process, it’s time to get an MSC-accredited certification body into the mix. These are independent experts who will evaluate your fishery without bias.
They will review your application and supporting documentation, set up the logistics for on-site visits and stakeholder consultations, and outline the scope and specific criteria against which the fishery will be assessed.
During on-site visits, certification teams conduct interviews with key personnel, observe operational procedures in real-time, and review scientific data and monitoring reports. All this information is compiled into a comprehensive report, which is then shared with stakeholders during a public consultation phase before the final certification decision is made.
Step 3: Certification Decision
After the certification body evaluates the evidence gathered during the assessment against MSC’s three core principles, your fishery receives the formal decision. If you meet all criteria, certification is granted. This means your practices are indeed sustainable, and you are allowed to use MSC ecolabel in your products.
In some instances, a fishery may demonstrate overall compliance with the MSC standards but still have minor non-conformities or areas that require improvement. In these cases, the certification body may issue conditional certification.
This means that the fishery is certified on the condition that it implements specific corrective actions within a predetermined time frame. There will be subsequent audits or reviews to verify that the required improvements have been implemented.
Extra Step: Chain of Custody Certification
Once certified, a fishery doesn’t need any other documentation to prove its sustainability practices. However, companies further along the supply chain (such as processors, wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants) need to go through Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification.
This allows them to take legal ownership of the seafood product and display the MSC eco‐label. It’s a process that ensures the certified product remains segregated and traceable from the point of capture to the final consumer9.
Side note: If a fishery also engages in activities beyond harvesting, like processing, repackaging, or selling directly to consumers, they might need to obtain CoC certification for those downstream operations.
Challenges and Considerations
Even though the MSC’s blue tick is recognized globally as the biggest and best (not everyone agrees on this one) fishery ecolabel, it doesn’t come without challenges.
Many fisheries struggle with gathering comprehensive and accurate data on fish stocks, bycatch, and environmental impacts. This is usually a major problem for fisheries in remote or under-resourced areas.
Plus, the certification process is quite complex, which leaves out small fisheries that don’t have the resources to organize and maintain the necessary records and protocols.
Small fisheries also don’t have the financial resources to cover the application fees, fees for independent third-party audits, and expenses related to on-site assessments and subsequent corrective actions.
Depending on the scale and complexity of operations, certification costs range from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand dollars. Not to mention the costs needed to train the staff, update management practices, or upgrade technology to meet MSC requirements.
This is where the conditional certification can make things a bit easier. This type of certification allows fisheries to operate while they work on specific improvements. It’s a way to encourage sustainability without forcing an immediate, all-or-nothing investment.
Controversies Over Time
The MSC is a worldwide organization with hundreds of employees and thousands of collaborators. At this level, there will always be some areas of contention.
Here are some of the most debated ones:
Leniency and Subjectivity in Standards
Critics argue that the MSC’s standards and their interpretation by third-party certifiers can be overly generous.
For example, studies and formal objections have noted that a number of MSC-certified fisheries appear to operate at levels where signs of overfishing or ecosystem impacts are evident. In some cases, fisheries that show early warning signs of stock depletion or significant bycatch may still be certified, provided they commit to future improvements10.
This conditional approach has led some environmental groups to suggest that the certification “moves the goalposts” rather than ensuring immediate sustainability.
Certification of Industrial Fisheries and Use of Controversial Gear
Some large-scale industrial fisheries have received MSC certification despite using fishing methods that environmental groups deem destructive.
A most recent case talks about the certification of certain tuna fisheries that rely heavily on fish aggregating devices (FADs). Critics have sounded the alarm that the MSC label is increasingly found on catch from industrial operations that use gear known for high bycatch and negative environmental impacts11.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
Another area of controversy centers on the MSC’s funding model. The organization receives a significant portion of its income from licensing fees for the use of its logo.
Some observers, including former partners and environmental groups, argue that this reliance on royalties creates an inherent conflict of interest. The practice may incentivize the certification of more fisheries, even if they might not fully meet stringent sustainability criteria.
Critics claim that this financial incentive could contribute to less rigorous assessments by third-party certifiers, who are chosen by the fisheries themselves.
NGO and Stakeholder Objections
Over the years, formal objections have been raised by conservation groups and independent scientists regarding specific MSC certifications.
Although only a small percentage of formal objections have led to a certification being revoked or conditions being imposed, these objections highlight concerns over data transparency, assessment methodology, and the overall robustness of the MSC criteria.
Such objections have fueled ongoing debates about whether the MSC ecolabel genuinely reflects the highest possible standards for sustainable fishing.
How Can You Support The MSC
Even though some controversies surfaced over time, the MSC certification process has undoubtedly driven positive change. They laid down the groundwork to encourage fisheries to adopt more sustainable practices.
The blue-label system works (for the most part), and consumers have the power to support it. Here’s how:
FAQ
What is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)?
It’s a global nonprofit that works to end overfishing by certifying sustainable wild‐caught seafood. The MSC ensures that seafood is responsibly harvested and helps protect marine biodiversity, support sustainable livelihoods, and secure healthy oceans for future generations.
Why was the MSC founded?
MSC was founded as a joint initiative between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Unilever, inspired by the collapse of the Grand Banks cod fishery. Basically, it was a response to growing concerns over overfishing and the need for sustainable seafood practices to protect ocean resources.
How does the MSC label compare to other sustainable seafood labels?
MSC’s blue label is widely regarded as the most credible and trusted, meeting international best practices and standards. Other labels, like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), focus on specific aspects such as fish farming practices.
How is the MSC funded?
Mostly through charitable donations from foundations and licensing of the blue label (with all fees reinvested into sustainable fishing initiatives).
How does the MSC help fight overfishing?
By setting rigorous standards for fisheries management, certifying only those fisheries that meet strict sustainability criteria. The MSC also provides consumers with a trusted indicator (the blue label) for making sustainable seafood choices.
References
1. https://www.msc.org/en-us/about-the-msc/what-is-the-msc
2. https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/what-does-the-blue-msc-label-mean
3. https://therockfish.co.uk/blogs/skippers-log/what-does-msc-certified-actually-mean
4. https://ourworldindata.org/fish-and-overfishing
5. https://www.msc.org/for-business/fisheries/why-get-certified
6. https://www.msc.org/for-business/supply-chain/chain-of-custody-certification-guide
7. https://www.msc.org/for-business/fisheries/msc-fisheries-representatives
8. https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/fisheries-standard
9. https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/chain-of-custody-standard
10. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/26/blue-ticked-off-the-controversy-over-the-msc-fish-ecolabel
11. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/report-half-of-msc-certified-sustainable-tuna-caught-with-controversial-gear/
