MSC in Asia-Pacific
Certified fisheries
Interest in seafood sustainability is on the rise in the Asia Pacific region, and there are a growing number of regional fisheries that have been certified, or are undergoing assessment, against the MSC standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.
There are currently
- 7 certified fisheries in Australia and New Zealand
- 3 certified fisheries in Japan
- 1 certified fishery in Vietnam.
These fisheries are responsible for catching species including rock lobster, king prawns, albacore and skipjack tuna, snow crab, flathead flounder, hoki, yellow-eye mullet, mulloway (jewfish), golden perch, pipis, mackerel icefish, toothfish and clams. See a list of all certified fisheries in the Asia Pacific region
There are also more than 10 fisheries in the Asia Pacific region currently undergoing MSC assessment, including 3 Australian fisheries, 4 New Zealand fisheries, then one each in the Western and Central Pacific, Fiji and Japan. As a result additional species including tiger and banana prawns, blue whiting, ling, hake and scallops could soon be MSC certified. See a list of all fisheries in assessment in the Asia-pacific region
Supply chain
The Asia-Pacific is a major trading hub for seafood, with many regional seafood companies linked to supply chains around the world. A large number of these companies have been certified for MSC Chain of Custody. Companies in Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Vietnam can offer buyers a wide variety of certified sustainable seafood carrying the blue MSC ecolabel.
Use our Find a supplier search tool to find the businesses in the region offering certified sustainable seafood.
Retail and brands
About 25 major retailers in the Asia-Pacific region offer MSC-labelled fish across a wide range of fresh, frozen, canned, smoked, chilled and ready-meals.
Aeon, the largest retailer in Japan, for example, actively supports the MSC in their commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood and the promotion of those products to their consumers. Aldi in Australia are also keen supporters of the MSC, stocking more than 15 certified products on their shelves. More recently Australia's largest retailers, Woolworths and Coles, announced sustainable seafood policies that incorporated MSC certified pink and red salmon products into their private label brands.
As the availability of MSC certified seafood has grown, so too has the number of MSC labelled products available to consumers. In Japan, for example, there are more than 300 retail products available across a host of stores, including Aeon, Japan Consumers’ Cooperative Union and Izumi. In Australia there are now more than 110 labelled canned and frozen seafood products available at major retail outlets Woolworths, Coles and Aldi.
MSC products can also be found in Hong Kong supermarkets City Super and Jusco, and seafood company, Golden Fresh, recently launched three MSC certified frozen products in Malaysia.
To search for certified sustainable seafood in your country and get updates when new MSC-labelled products are launched visit the MSC’s new sustainable seafood product finder.
Foodservice and restaurants
There are currently no foodservice companies or restaurants in the Asia-Pacific region serving MSC-labelled fish. If you want yours to be the first, find out how.
