The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is committed to educating consumers about how to support environmentally sustainable fishing practices and a healthier ocean for the future.
As people learn more about the sustainable seafood movement, we’re asked more and more questions. Here, we’ve shared some commonly asked questions about the MSC and the larger world of sustainable fishing and seafood:
About the MSC
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a global nonprofit that is dedicated to healthy oceans and seafood resources for the future.
Working with scientists, fisheries, industry experts, and other nonprofits, the MSC’s goal is to improve the way our ocean is fished through the MSC Fisheries Standard and Chain of Custody Standard. The MSC program incentivizes environmentally sustainable fishing practices globally.
Through the use of the MSC blue fish label, the MSC makes it easy to identify and choose wild, certified, environmentally sustainable seafood that was harvested from healthy populations and with minimal marine ecosystem impact.The Marine Stewardship Council was created in response to the growing threat of overfishing globally to help incentivize fisheries to become more sustainable.
35.5% of stocks are estimated to be fished at biologically unsustainable levels. With the global human population set to reach 10 billion by 2050, the need to harness our natural resources more responsibly is more urgent than ever. Approximately 3.1 billion people get at least 20% of their animal protein intake from fish. In addition to providing a valuable food source, fisheries also provide livelihoods for many people. Over 36 million people are employed directly in the wild-capture seafood sector.
Sustainable fishing plays a vital role in protecting our ocean and keeping our world fed. The MSC exists to support environmentally sustainable resource management for wild-capture fisheries around the world.
The MSC is dedicated to full transparency about where its funding comes from. The MSC is an independent nonprofit organization. Our income is derived from two sources: 1) licensing of the MSC blue fish ecolabel, and 2) charitable donations from foundations.
We do not receive any income from fisheries or third-party certification auditors who assess fisheries sustainability. Fisheries and Supply Chain businesses volunteer to be certified against the MSC's internationally recognized Standards by independent third-party assessors. Assessors are independently accredited by Assurance Services International (ASI). This third-party certification model is an important safeguard in avoiding any conflicts of interest.
Licensing Fees:
Brand products, restaurants, and other companies that wish to show their fish is from an MSC certified source must pay a royalty fee each time an item with the label is purchased. The use of the MSC ecolabel is completely voluntary, and only a fraction of certified seafood bears the ecolabel. The MSC ecolabel is only available for use by those licensed to do so.
As a nonprofit, all funding is reinvested back into our efforts to advance sustainable fishing initiatives, including research, management improvement, and more. Among other contributions, 5% of label license royalties are fed into the Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF). OSF provides grants for fishery improvements and funds important research into bycatch reduction, protecting marine habitats, and the effects of climate change.
This means that each time you purchase an item with the MSC blue fish label, you're supporting sustainable fisheries and a healthy ocean for the future
Charitable Donations:
We are especially grateful for the significant support we receive from a range of charitable funders, including trusts, foundations, and statutory bodies, from across the globe.
Learn more about our financials in our latest annual report.
Ecolabels & the MSC Blue Fish
The MSC blue fish label is an ecolabel that can be found on seafood, marine supplements, and pet products, and alongside seafood items on menus. It helps consumers identify seafood that is certified, wild-caught, can be traced back to an environmentally sustainable source, and third-party verified.
The MSC blue fish can only be applied to wild-caught fish or seafood from a fishery that has been independently assessed on its impacts on wild fish populations and the ecosystems they're part of.
The MSC Fisheries Standard only applies to wild-capture fisheries, not farmed fish. Fish products from farms and aquaculture can be certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) environmental and social standards.
The ASC Farm Standard addresses fish health and welfare, water quality, conserving biodiversity, and community engagement to drive positive change for people and planet.
While there are many sustainability claims out there, the MSC blue fish label is a globally recognized ecolabel with high trust. The blue fish label found on seafood packaging provides an easy way for North American consumers to identify seafood that is wild-caught and supports environmentally sustainable fishing practices.
The MSC runs the only wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabeling program that meets best practice requirements set by both the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) and ISEAL, the global membership association for sustainability standards.
Every purchase of an MSC certified product sends a message to fisheries and the seafood industry that consumers and businesses want and demand better environmental sustainability standards for their seafood.
The more demand increases, the more fisheries are incentivized to achieve MSC certification, leading to healthier fish stocks and fewer impacts on marine ecosystems.
- Science-based assessments drawing on peer-reviewed data, with publicly available assessment reports.
- Independent third-party auditing: all fishery assessments and annual audits are carried out by accredited, independent certification bodies — not by MSC itself.
- Publicly available standards: the MSC Fisheries Standard and Chain of Custody Standard are freely accessible online.
- Compliant with ISEAL’s Code of Good Practice for sustainability standards: MSC is the only ISEAL-compliant wild-capture seafood certification. This means that we have been independently evaluated against their globally recognized benchmark for effective, credible sustainability systems.
- Supply chain assurance: MSC Chain of Custody certification ensures that certified seafood can be traced back to a certified source.
- Consumer trust: One of the most trusted sustainability certifications in the world
The MSC Standards & Certification
The MSC program is a certification, not a rating or recommendation. Certification provides the highest level of assurance that the seafood product is verified to be sustainable, harvested legally, and traceable back to a sustainable source.
The MSC goes to great lengths to ensure we meet the highest international benchmarks for credible certification and ecolabeling and that the MSC standards reflect best practice in fisheries management.
If a product isn’t certified, ratings can indicate whether your choice is supporting a healthier ocean. Ratings provide information about species or stock on a global scale.
The MSC Fishery Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well managed and sustainable. To become MSC certified, fisheries must be assessed by an independent, third-party auditor (not the MSC) and must prove they meet all three principles of the MSC Fishery Standard:
- healthy and sustainable fish stocks
- minimal environmental impact
- effective fisheries management in place to react and adapt to any new information or changing conditions.
Assessments are scientifically rigorous and can be a lengthy process. Learn more about it on the MSC Fisheries Standard page.
Certification to the Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard ensures an unbroken chain where certified seafood is easily identifiable, separated from non-certified products, and can be traced back to another certified business.
Supply chains can be very complicated, and seafood may pass through many stages between the fishery and the grocery store shelf or restaurant.
When you see a product carrying the MSC blue fish label, it means that every company within that supply chain has a valid Chain of Custody (CoC) certificate. To achieve CoC certification, businesses must be audited by independent certification bodies.
Chain of Custody certificates are valid for a three-year period, and businesses are subject to surveillance audits to ensure proper protocols are followed.
Learn more about it on the MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard page.
MSC certification is a rigorous process, and some fisheries spend many years improving their practices before reaching the MSC Fisheries Standard. Our analysis shows that the majority of fisheries that conduct pre-assessments against the certification criteria do not initially pass and are required to make significant improvements before seeking MSC certification. Because of this, many fisheries do not enter the full certification assessment process until they are confident their fishery will meet all standards and qualify for certification.
Once started, assessments can take between 10 and 18 months. This process is rigorous and has several safeguards in place to maintain the certification’s credibility.
Once certification is achieved, fishing operations must continue to be assessed and can have their certificate suspended or removed if they fall short of the MSC Standard. Fisheries are audited every year, and fishing operations are fully reassessed every five years. The process is transparent, with the results of these audits published online and available for anyone to view.
To meet UN FAO guidelines on non-discrimination, all wild-capture fisheries—regardless of size, scale, ecology, geography, or technology—are eligible to pursue MSC certification and can request to have their fishing practices evaluated by an independent auditor.
There are a few exceptions, however. The MSC does not allow fisheries to seek certification if the fishery:
- Targets amphibians, reptiles, birds, and/or mammals
- Uses destructive fishing practices (such as poison or explosives)
- Has been successfully convicted for forced labor violations within the last two years
- Has been convicted of shark finning violations within the last two years
- Refuses to join or respect agreements set by an international management body and relating to the sustainable management of the fishery.
- Is purely aquaculture (farmed). Although some forms of ‘enhanced fisheries’—wild-capture fisheries that involve some degree of farming (e.g. mussels)—can be assessed. For certified farmed seafood, look for the ASC ecolabel
In short, the amount varies.
The MSC does not charge money to fisheries that wish to be certified, nor do they receive any payment from fisheries that undergo assessment or achieve certification.
Instead, fisheries are audited by an accredited and independent third-party organization. Any certification fees are paid by the fisheries directly to the auditors. The cost of certification assessment varies widely, depending on:
- The complexity of the fishery
- The availability of information and research on the fishery's impact
- The level of stakeholder involvement
To ensure that fisheries of all sizes can maintain certification, fisheries may apply for additional funding through the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund.
More information on the cost of certification can be found here.
Sustainable Seafood & Species
Within the MSC program, 'environmentally sustainable fishing' means leaving enough fish in the ocean to replenish the population; fishing in a way that minimizes impacts on habitats and ecosystems; and managing the fishery in a way that can adapt to changing environmental circumstances.
While companies and organizations around the world have different definitions of sustainable fishing, the MSC definition is widely accepted across borders, among fishery experts, scientists, researchers, governmental bodies, and environmental NGOs.
MSC certified seafood that carries the MSC blue fish label meets all the criteria of the MSC definition of environmentally sustainable fishing practices.
MSC certified sustainable seafood is available at every price point and can be found at your local grocery store, in convenience stores, at specialty retailers, and even on some restaurant menus. Broadly, you should be looking for MSC certified items in the following categories:
- Frozen Food
- Refrigerated Goods
- Seafood Counter
- Canned Goods
- Dietary Supplements
- Pet Food/Health
If you don’t find seafood products that have the MSC blue fish label when you shop, take a moment to leave a comment or ask the store manager to include MSC certified options on their shelves.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not actually the best method to determine environmental sustainability at the species level. There are so many factors that go into what makes a particular fishery sustainable, and it is more accurate to discuss the overall health of a specific fish population. In addition, you can factor in catch method and fisheries management.
The MSC sets an internationally recognized standard for environmentally sustainable fishing using regularly updated scientific criteria, and fisheries voluntarily choose to enter the program. Once in the program, they are scored by a third-party assessor who determines if they meet certification requirements.
There are hundreds of species caught in MSC certified fisheries. Learn about some of them here.
Strong fisheries management and regulation – rather than a blanket cancellation of seafood – is the best solution to ensure fishing practices are environmentally sustainable while also supporting livelihoods and global food security.
If you choose not to eat seafood you remove your impact on seafood supply chains. It’s important to remember that all food has environmental impact. Your alternative food choices could unintentionally increase your impact on other land-based options, which have negative environmental outcomes like a higher carbon footprint or larger greenhouse gas emissions. Seafood is a nutritious protein that is packed with many health benefits.
Instead of removing seafood from your diet altogether, make the switch to certified sustainable options. Seafood sourced from a fishery with environmentally sustainable fishing practices is an option that supports a healthier ocean for the future. You're choice has a positive impact and influence over the long-term future of commercial fisheries, which are a critical part of our global food supply and economy.
In short, no.
While you may be able to trace a product back to a local source, it does not provide assurance that the item is from an environmentally sustainable fishery. There are benefits to choosing local. For example, you support local businesses and fishing communities, potentially cut down transportation emissions, and reduce your carbon footprint.
The best way to support local seafood while also rewarding environmentally sustainable fishing practices is to determine what seafoods fit your definition of ‘locally sourced’ and then check if the item carries the MSC ecolabel on packaging.
There are many fisheries in North America that are MSC certified; you can look up more info on each by using the Track a Fishery website.
Traceability
Knowing where your food comes from is important. Traceability goes hand in hand with sustainability as the best way to ensure that claims on packaging—including, but not limited to species, origin, and sustainability status—are accurate, credible, and not fraudulent.
MSC certified seafood is verified and accounted for throughout the supply chain.
Seafood Fraud & Mislabeling
Put simply, seafood fraud is the misrepresentation or mislabeling of a seafood product as something it’s not. It can happen unintentionally or be an intentional act.
The severity of mislabeling varies dramatically—examples include farmed fish sold as wild-caught, incorrect species substitution, and even false sourcing claims on the packaging. Sometimes this mislabeling occurs by mistake due to mismanagement along the supply chain.
Sadly, it is likely that many seafood fraud incidents around the world are intentional and motivated by an increase in the sale value of cheaper fish species (i.e., to make a profit). This can pose a high risk to human health and ocean health. It may also widen the consumer trust gap or, even worse, leave consumers feeling actively deceived.
The MSC Chain of Custody Standard plays a large role in combating seafood fraud, as MSC certified products must be kept separate from non-certified ones and can be traced throughout the supply chain, minimizing the chance for mislabeling.
Fishing & Fisheries
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing takes place when vessels or fishermen operate outside the laws of a fishery or nation. It is often conducted without concern for marine life or the environment. IUU fishing threatens the sustainability
of fish populations, ecosystems, and the livelihoods of those who fish legally. The MSC program helps to drive out IUU fishing by disqualifying fisheries if they systematically engage in IUU fishing or where IUU fishing by others is having a negative
impact on the sustainability of the overall fishery.
Learn more about illegal fishing here.
One of the amazing things about our ocean is that fish populations can recover and replenish if they are managed carefully for the long-term.
Examples of where this has happened, and stocks have come back from the brink include the Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean and the recovery of Namibian hake after years of overfishing by foreign fleets, or the increase in some of our major tuna stocks globally. And what is even more amazing is that if we take care of our fish stocks, they take care of us.
Research shows that fish stocks that are well-managed and sustainable are also more productive in the long-term, meaning there is more seafood for our growing global population, which is set to reach 10 billion by 2050.
The MSC ecolabel is only awarded to fisheries that are able to demonstrate that the fish stock is healthy and that there are methods in place that can be used to recover fish stocks if the fish levels are outside sustainable fishing levels.
At-sea monitoring plays a huge role in ensuring that fisheries within the program are fishing sustainably. The MSC Fisheries Standard for sustainability requires fisheries within the MSC program to collect a range of information, at a sufficient level of quality, in order to become certified and maintain that certification. This information must be independently reviewed by a Conformation Assessment Body (CAB) for accuracy; the information is not reviewed by the MSC to ensure impartiality.
The data collected must prove they are fishing:
- Within sustainable limits,
- Within specified geographic boundaries, and
- The fishing practices are not causing long-lasting harm to the environment
In order to collect this required data, fisheries use a variety of cutting-edge surveillance technologies including satellite GPS tracking of vessels—which help to detect suspicious and illegal fishing activity—and electronic monitoring on board with cameras and sensors that are triggered when fishing gear hauls up a fresh catch.
In addition to this newer technology, fisheries also rely on traditional monitoring methods including fishers' logbooks, at-sea inspections, surveillance flight patrols, dockside monitoring, and fishery observers on vessels.
Commercial fishing uses a wide range of gear types, and any fishery that is catching fish in the wild can choose to be assessed to the MSC Fisheries Standard. There are two exceptions: the MSC does not allow any fisheries using explosives or poisons.
The method of fishing, or gear type, a fishery uses is based on several factors including but not limited to: the type of fish or shellfish being caught, the surrounding marine environment including the geographic location and the additional species that live in that area of the ocean, the cost of the gear, etc.
While all fishing activity has an impact on the marine environment, there is no universally accepted rule for “sustainable fishing gear types”. What makes a fishery sustainable—regardless of gear type—is effective and responsible management that ensures that gear type is being used in a sustainable manner that does not cause lasting damage to the environment.
More information on gear types can be found here:
Bycatch
Bycatch (referred to as “unwanted catch” in the MSC program) is fish or other marine species caught unintentionally during the fishing process. Bycatch is a serious issue especially when endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species such as turtles and dolphins are accidentally caught, injured, or killed.
Fishing activity with bycatch can be deemed sustainable as long as the amount of bycatch is well-managed and affected fish populations remain healthy.
To be MSC certified, fishing activity must not have a long-term detrimental impact on the population of any marine species. Fisheries that need to improve in this area, will set goals that they have to meet to keep their certificates or risk being suspended.
Conditions set on MSC certified fisheries have resulted in significant reductions to the level of bycatch worldwide. Fisheries within the MSC program are required to regularly review alternative bycatch mitigation measures, and to implement them when appropriate.
Miscellaneous
Read the full MSC response to the Seaspiracy film here, and read an independent review of the science behind the film from Sustainable Fisheries UW.
Dive deeper
Continue learning about the MSC and our blue fish label