Environmental Benefits

In September 2005, the MSC began a two-phase project to build a strategic framework for the evaluation of environmental benefits in fisheries resulting from certification under the MSC programme.  The first phase of the work was completed jointly with independent fisheries researchers from MRAG UK Ltd in May 2006.   It concentrated on developing tools and methodologies to measure the ecological impacts of certification to the MSC standard, and cataloguing and assessing current evidence that the MSC eco-labelling programme results in positive outcomes for the environment. Using information mainly available in the public domain, the desktop study focussed on the ten fisheries that, by late 2005, had been the subject of at least one post-certification surveillance audit.

The study did not attempt to assess fishery performance against the MSC’s Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing – independent certification bodies determine whether or not fisheries should be certified or should remain so. Instead, the study focussed on the changes that might have occurred in the ten certified fisheries from an environmental perspective and if it was possible to make any link between those changes and the fact that the fisheries were certified. 

The initial findings of the first phase show promising evidence of both quantitative and qualitative environmental benefits, and just as importantly highlight methods that could be used to categorise and evaluate fishery performance changes in a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approach.  The following documents are available for download:

Summary of findings (PDF, 5 pages)
Environmental benefits resulting from certification against MSC’s Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing (May 2006) (PDF, 134 pages, 2MB)

The second project phase is building a strategic framework for future evaluation of benefits of certification. To assist this work the MSC convened an expert workshop in September 2006 as recommended by the Phase 1 project team.  One highlight of the workshop was the need to develop an M&E design and approach that can capture the improvements of fisheries that occur prior to them coming forward to become certified, as the ecological gains from these fisheries logically will be greater than for those fisheries that are already performing at levels necessary to pass MSC certification.  The latter category of already certified fisheries was the focus of Phase 1 work since data was readily available for those fisheries and it provided a basis to examine potential methods.  A summary of the workshop’s results and recommendations is available for download as follows:

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Workshop: Monitoring & Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of the MSC Certification Programme - Final workshop report (September 2006) (PDF, 14 pages)