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| Type | Charity |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997, London, England |
| Headquarters | 3rd Floor, Mountbarrow House, 6-20 Elizabeth Street, London |
| Industry | Sustainable seafood ecolabel programme |
| Website | www.msc.org |
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent non-profit organization with an ecolabel and fishery certification programme. Fisheries that are assessed and meet the standard can use the MSC blue ecolabel. The MSC mission is to 'reward sustainable fishing practises’. When fish is bought that has the blue MSC ecolabel, it should indicate that this fishery operates in an environmentally responsible way and does not contribute to the global environmental problem of overfishing.
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Principles
The MSC environmental standard for sustainable fisheries was developed over two years through a consultative process. The three principles of the MSC standard consider:
- The condition of the fish stock(s) of the fishery
- The impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem
- The fishery management system
The MSC standard is consistent with the ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Wild Capture Fisheries’ adopted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2005. Any fishery that wishes to become MSC certified and use the ecolabel is assessed against the MSC standard by a third party, independent certification body that has been independently accredited to perform MSC assessments by Accreditation Services International (ASI). Chain of custody certification along the supply chain from boat to point of sale ensures that seafood sold bearing the ecolabel originated from an MSC certified fishery.
The MSC is headed by the Chief Executive who reports to the Board of Trustees. This is supported by the Technical Advisory Board and the Stakeholder Council, (further information on MSC governance). The MSC programme works through a multi-stakeholder partnership approach, taking into account the views of those seeking to secure a sustainable future.
History
The MSC was founded in 1997 by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Unilever, and became fully independent in 1999.
It has offices in London (its head office), Seattle, Washington and Sydney, New South Wales and local offices in Edinburgh, Berlin, The Hague, Cape Town and Tokyo.
As of September 2009, there are over 3,000 seafood products available with the MSC ecolabel, sold in 59 countries around the world. As of December 2009, 59 fisheries have been independently certified as meeting the MSC’s environmental standard for sustainable fishing and over 120 are currently undergoing assessment, (further information on fisheries engaged in the MSC programme). Over 1,100 companies have met the MSC Chain of Custody standard for seafood traceability.
MSC and aquaculture
The Marine Stewardship Council is a programme for wild fisheries and does not include aquaculture production. However, the MSC programme can contribute to sustainable outcomes along the aquaculture production chain through the certification of feed fish fisheries. As of November 2008 there is one fishery undergoing assessment for MSC certification that produces for fishmeal – the Gulf of California sardine fishery. About 85% of the total production from the Gulf of California sardine fishery is used for reduction to fishmeal and mostly used for animal feeds.
Fish & Kids
Fish & Kids is a project of the Marine Stewardship Council that encourages schools and restaurants in England to serve sustainable, MSC labelled seafood. Fish & Kids also aims to raise children’s awareness of sustainable food issues through a classroom resource pack and website using fun games and educational materials.
Independent opinion and criticism
Jared Diamond's Collapse praises MSC and the similar Forest Stewardship Council as good examples of collaboration among environmentalists and businesses for a sustainable economy.
In a September 28, 2009 article in The New Republic, Daniel Pauly, a professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia and the principal investigator of its Sea Around Us Project, accuses the MSC of bending to pressure from a large grant from the Walton Family Foundation and Wal-Mart, and certifying the practice of "reduction fisheries", or fish farms, a frequently harmful practice of raising non-native fish in ocean pens, feeding them ground-up fish. He also criticizes their recent practice of "measuring success by the percentage of the world catch it certifies", adding that they are "complicit in a giant scam". [1]
References
External links
- Marine Stewardship Council Website
- MSC website for teachers and children
- Where to buy MSC-labelled seafood
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