For a future full of fish, choose the blue fish tick

Making sure there’s enough fish in the sea for the next generation

A third of wild fish populations globally are overfished. Overfishing means we’re not always leaving enough fish for our children and grandchildren.

Fish need time to grow and re-produce and sustainable fishing allow this to happen. 

To be certified as sustainable, teams of marine scientists look at a fishery to assess if fish is being caught at the right level and in the right way. Fisheries that opt into this process, can get independently certified as sustainable to the MSC Fisheries Standard. This process typically takes 12-18 months and is scrutinised by a range of stakeholders, with certificates lasting up to 5 years.

Often fisheries are required to make continual improvements to gain and maintain certification. If improvements are not met, fisheries can lose their certificate. Improvements can include measures to minimise bycatch such as marine mammals and birds and to adapt to the effects of climate change on our ocean.

Sustainable fishing to the MSC Fisheries Standard means:

1. Healthy populations of fish
2. Impacts on ecosystems minimised
3. Responsible and effective management

Learn more about the work of the Marine Stewardship Council including how the certification process works in this Ocean Protect podcast featuring our resident scientist and shark expert Dr Adrian Gutteridge.