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It’s vital that everyone, from fishers to retailers, scientists to consumers, has confidence in the blue MSC label and the credibility of the claims made by certified organisations.
The MSC, in consultation with stakeholders, sets standards for sustainable fisheries and traceable seafood supply chains. The MSC assurance system is how we make sure the assessment process for fisheries and supply chain businesses is working and meets best practice.
Under the MSC program, fisheries can get certified if they meet the MSC Fisheries Standard.
The MSC operates a third-party certification program. This means we do not assess or certify fisheries. Fishery assessments are carried out by teams of auditors who are experts in fisheries science and management and are independent of the fishery and the MSC. The certification process is managed by an independent conformity assessment body (also known as a CAB).
Third-party programs offer the highest level of assurance that the outcomes of assessments are unbiased. Here’s how they compare to other forms of certification:
The MSC, in consultation with stakeholders, sets standards for sustainable fisheries and supply chains. The independent assessments are carried out by the CABs, following specific processes that are also set by MSC. This third-party system means consumers can be confident that the outcomes of assessments are free from the influence of either the client or the MSC.
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Third-party certification is widely regarded as the most trustworthy system for objective assessments. However, there can still be risks to the integrity of the system – such as real or perceived conflicts of interest – and these must be mitigated.
The MSC has introduced over 30 assurance safeguards over the years, built into our third-party certification model. These include:
Read more about how we’re maintaining best practice.
There are multiple opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to specific fishery assessments. This helps to ensure assessments are balanced, evidence-based and reflect all available information.
To facilitate stakeholder input in assessments the MSC has introduced additional measures including:
If stakeholders have an issue with the way an assessment has been carried out, they can raise official objections or complaints.
For a fishery to become certified, an assessment team reviews all the evidence received during the assessment process.
This includes evidence from the fishery, a site visit with staff interviews, input from stakeholders during the site visit and submitted in writing, and independent scientific input including from peer reviewers. Assessment teams can be part of a CAB, or they can be hired by a CAB to complete specific assessments.
The individuals on the team might have different skills to ensure they are qualified for conducting the assessment, and MSC requires the assessors to:
CABs also have further assurance systems in place. For example, assessors must submit their reports to the CAB for further review. A second qualified person within the CAB takes the final decision on whether to certify a fishery.
To ensure the consistency, independence and impartiality of the MSC fishery certification process, all fishery assessment reports are peer-reviewed by independent scientists.
For example, the scientists might comment on the scores a fishery received, or on any information that seems to be missing in the CAB’s rationale for the scoring. Any issues raised by the peer reviewers must be considered and responded to by the CAB.
The MSC strengthened the peer review process by formally establishing an independent Peer Review College from 1 September 2017, following an 18-month pilot phase. The College currently includes around 90 experts in marine science and fisheries management, enabling each assessment to be checked by members with expertise in the relevant field, and without a conflict of interest. The Peer Review College normally assigns two peer reviewers to check each fishery assessment report. To maintain its impartiality and independence, the College has an Oversight Committee that is appointed by the MSC Board of Trustees. Two additional third-party experts also verify the candidates for each review and provide quality assurance.
Learn more about the Peer Review CollegeThe Peer Review College Oversight Committee reviews the performance of the peer review system at least once a year. Peer reviewer’s comments are checked by the third-party experts along with the responses made by the CABs. If any issues are identified, the College can provide targeted training to the reviewers or make changes to improve the system.
All companies that buy and sell certified seafood comply with the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. As with fisheries, these companies are certified by a third-party audit. This means all seafood sold with the MSC blue fish label can be traced back to a certified sustainable source. This is important because around 30% of seafood globally is mislabelled. DNA testing has shown that mislabelling rates for MSC labelled seafood are less than 1%. A traceable supply chain is necessary to fight seafood fraud. It means consumers can trust that what they are eating really is what it says on the packet. Our Chain of Custody Standard set us apart from other sustainable seafood initiatives, such as ratings cards, that don’t guarantee traceability.
“Certification provides the highest level of assurance that the product is verified to be sustainable, is harvested legally, and is traceable back to its source.”
- Certification and Ratings Collaboration
We go to great lengths to ensure we meet the highest international benchmarks for credible certification and ecolabeling. Our program is the only global wild seafood certification program to be aligned with all the following international norms:
The MSC Fisheries Standard is based in part on the UN FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing. The Code provides principles and standards for the conservation, management and development of fisheries around the world.The MSC's certification and labelling program is fully consistent with the UN FAO's internationally-agreed set of principles for ecolabelling of wild caught seafood. These include:
The MSC runs the first global certification program for wild caught seafood to be recognised by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), an independent benchmark for the credibility of sustainable seafood certification programs. GSSI was developed by a coalition of environmental NGOs, global businesses, industry experts, governments and intergovernmental organisations and is based on UN FAO codes and guidelines.
The MSC program meets all the essential components of the GSSI benchmark, and a further 63 supplementary components relating to issues such as deep sea fishing and vulnerable marine ecosystems.
Read the full GSSI report
We are the only wild seafood certification program to be a full member of ISEAL, the global membership association for credible sustainability standards.
As an ISEAL member, we comply with their highly regarded codes for standard setting, assurance and impact monitoring. These require that:
We're regularly audited to ensure that we meet these codes.
Other full members of ISEAL include Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International and the Forest Stewardship Council.
For 70 years, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has published standards for companies and certifiers globally. Over 1 million companies are certified to ISO standards including the standard for quality management (ISO 9001).
The following ISO standards are built into the MSC’s assurance system. They define controls on conflict of interest, complaint resolution and accrediting a CAB.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement exists to ensure standards and regulations do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. ISEAL has sought a legal opinion from the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) which confirms that all organisations consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice, are not technical barriers to trade.
In addition to meeting international norms and guidelines for best practice, our program is well regarded by numerous international organisations who scrutinise the role of standard setting in safeguarding our oceans.
The MSC and other credible standard setters are seen to have a key role to play in helping companies and governments to achieve the United Nations Environment Programme’s Sustainable Development Goals by providing best practice guidance for 'what good looks like' in a specific industry.
MSC certification is used as an indicator in the UN Convention on Biodiversity’s Aichi Targets. Part of the UN’s decade-long initiative to significantly reduce biodiversity loss by 2020, these targets were widely consulted with the international conservation and governance community.
Just as we develop our standards in accordance with the latest scientific understanding, we periodically review our entire program.
The MSC is currently reviewing the assurance system to increase its effectiveness and address real or perceived issues within the system.
The review is focused on key work areas running from 2018-2020.
Read more about the MSC Assurance System
The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation. We recognise and reward efforts to protect oceans and safeguard seafood supplies.
You can trust that seafood with the blue MSC label was caught by a responsible fishery in a sustainable way.
Data from the MSC is used by the UN Environment Programme to track progress towards international goals to end overfishing and protect biodiversity.
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