December 18, 2025 – The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) is pleased to announce that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has joined the Center as a member of its Industry Advisory Board (IAB). The addition of MSC will further the Center’s mission to identify and fund the latest developments in marine science, and to support healthy, sustainable fisheries.

The MSC is the world’s leading certification for wild-capture fisheries. Meeting the organization’s Fisheries Standard is a rigorous process that ensures that any seafood product carrying the MSC-certified blue fish label meets the highest benchmarks for sustainability. Fisheries that are certified against the Fisheries Standard, which is confirmed after an extensive independent audit, have a proven track record of effective management, strong science, and environmental stewardship.

“The Marine Stewardship Council shares the Center’s mission of supporting critical scientific research for economically important fisheries,” said Dr. Eric Powell, of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Director of SCEMFIS. “Our research has helped our fisheries be better managed and more sustainable, and MSC’s membership will help us expand that work.”

SCEMFIS is a member of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, which brings together leading marine science academics and members of fishing industry to collaborate on relevant research projects, fill gaps in scientific knowledge, and utilize the results of completed research to fill industry needs. As a member of the Center’s Industry Advisory Board, MSC will have a role in identifying and funding needed research for some of the country’s most important finfish and shellfish fisheries.

“The MSC is delighted to join SCEMFIS as a member to support and contribute to cutting-edge research that deepens our understanding of U.S. fisheries,” said Anthony Mastitski, Fisheries Outreach Manager for the MSC. “SCEMFIS plays a pivotal role in advancing scientific research across U.S. fisheries, including many that are MSC-certified. Thanks in part to SCEMFIS, these fisheries have maintained their certifications and continue to offer sustainable seafood options to consumers at home and abroad.”

The partnership between SCEMFIS and MSC naturally aligns due to complementary missions focused on sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS’s work has shown tangible impact with helping certified fisheries address and close conditions within the MSC program like improving stock health, reducing environmental impacts, and strengthening the scientific foundations of sustainable management.

SCEMFIS has long supported research that improves the sustainability of our member fisheries. Several fisheries that have benefited from SCEMFIS research have been certified sustainable by the MSC standard, including Atlantic and Gulf menhaden, Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog, longfin and shortfin squid, and scup.

SCEMFIS research has examined important issues facing these fisheries and helped contribute to their sustainability. SCEMFIS researchers have published groundbreaking findings on topics such as how climate change has shifted the habitats of Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog; have found ways to better estimate the ages and population sizes of surfclams and ocean quahogs; are researching ways to better set Atlantic menhaden catch limits; developed a detailed model of how Gulf menhaden and its predators interact in the Gulf food web; and have documented the economic impact of the Atlantic surfclam, scup, longfin squid, and summer flounder fisheries.

“Our industry members are committed to the highest standards of sustainability,” said Joe Myers, Senior Director of Innovation & Sustainability of Sea Watch International, and the current chair of the SCEMFIS IAB. “That’s why we are thrilled to work with MSC as a partner in supporting the research that is vital to the future of our industries.”