MSC Blue Fish Guide to Sustainable Seafood

Look for certified sustainable seafood when:

• You want to trust that the product you’re buying is sustainable and comes from a healthy fish population, doesn’t cause lasting harm to the marine environment, and has proper management in place.  

 

• You want to ensure the fish can be traced back to where it was caught or farmed, and that there are no concerns about mislabeling or fraud so that you have assurance that the fish listed on the packaging is actually the fish you’re expecting! 

 

• You’re seeking independent third-party validation of a product’s environmental sustainability.  

Look for sustainably rated seafood when:

• You need information about a species that isn’t certified. 

 

• You want to support a healthy ocean by making better purchases. Knowing which seafood items are “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives”, and which ones to “Avoid”, will arm you with the knowledge to make an impact.  

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a global, science-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending overfishing and safeguarding our oceans for generations to come. 

Read more: What is the MSC?

The MSC Blue Fish/MSC Blue Fish Label

The MSC blue fish label is a visual marker on seafood products in the grocery store, at select restaurants, and through your local fish counter that signifies that an item is certified sustainable seafood.

Only seafood from fisheries that meet our strict standard for sustainability can be sold with the MSC blue fish label. It's our way of making sure you know that your seafood purchase is good for the oceans because it's wild, sustainable, and traceable through our Chain of Custody (CoC).

Learn more about the blue fish label

 

 

The MSC Fishing Standard

  

The MSC Fisheries Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well-managed and sustainable. 

The Standard reflects the most up-to-date understanding of internationally accepted fisheries science and management. The Standard is reviewed and developed in consultation with scientists, the fishing industry, and conservation groups.  

Certification to the MSC Fisheries Standard is voluntary. It’s open to all fisheries who catch marine or freshwater organisms in the wild. This includes most types of fish and shellfish. 

Fisheries are assessed by accredited, third-party independent certifiers called Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) or certification bodies.  

When a fishery is successfully certified to the Fisheries Standard, its certified catch can be sold with the MSC blue fish label. 

A fishery certified against the MSC standard must meet the following three principles: 

• Sustainable fish stocks: Fishing must be at a level that ensures it can continue indefinitely and the fish population can remain healthy and productive.
• Minimizing environmental impacts: Fishing activity must be managed carefully so that other species and habitats within the ecosystem remain healthy.
• Effective fisheries management: MSC certified fisheries must comply with relevant laws and be able to adapt to changing environmental circumstances. 

The MSC Fishery Standard is reviewed every five years. 

Learn more about the MSC Fisheries Standard

The MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard

Between the ocean and your plate, fish and seafood products may pass through many stages. Supply chains can be extensive. 

The MSC Chain of Custody Standard ensures that products from MSC certified sustainable fisheries are traceable and separated from non-certified products. 

For products to carry the MSC blue fish label, every company in the supply chain must have a valid Chain of Custody certificate. 

To be certified, businesses are audited by independent certification bodies. 

A company must meet the following five principles to achieve certification: 

• Certified Supply - Companies are required to purchase certified product from a certified supplier
• Identifiable - Certified sustainable product must be clearly identifiable throughout the supply chain 
• Separation - Certified products remain separate and clearly labeled from non-certified products. 
• Traceable and Recorded - Certified products are traceable through the supply chain, and volumes of certified product are recorded 
• Good Management - Companies have a management system in place that addresses the requirements of the Standard. 

The CoC Standard is reviewed every three years. 

Traceable Supply Chain

Sustainable Seafood

Generally, seafood is considered “sustainable” if it is caught or farmed in a way that keeps the marine environment intact, comes from a healthy population of fish, and is caught with oversight from regional and national management bodies.  

Learn more about the history of the sustainable seafood movement

Certification/Certified

A fishery or commercial body that meets an MSC standard (Fisheries and Chain of Custody, respectively), can achieve certification. The MSC does not certify any participant; rather, third-party, independent assessors are used to keep the standard impartial and fair. 

Certification to the Fisheries standard is voluntary. It is also voluntary for the Chain of Custody (CoC); however, if a brand, retailer, or restaurant would like to claim that an item is MSC certified or use the MSC blue fish label, they must have a valid CoC certification.

Sustainability Rating

Sustainability rating programs, like Monterey Bay's Seafood Watch, are recommendations to help consumers choose seafood that's fished or farmed in ways that have less impact on the environment.

Rating systems specifically apply to whole species versus individual fish stocks.

Ecolabel(s)

From the US Environmental Protection Agency: Ecolabels are marks placed on product packaging or in e-catalogs that can help consumers and institutional purchasers quickly and easily identify those products that meet specific environmental performance criteria and are therefore deemed “environmentally preferable”. 

 

The MSC ​​is the only global wild-capture fisheries certification program that simultaneously meets best practice requirements set by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), and ISEAL. 

Wild-caught Seafood

Wild-caught Seafood refers to seafood that comes from natural bodies of water, including oceans, rivers, lakes.

Farmed Seafood

Farmed seafood is fish and shellfish bred, reared, and harvested in controlled water environments. More than half of the seafood we now eat is farmed through a process known as aquaculture.

Fish Stock(s)

The population (or total mass) of a fishery resource.

In terms of the MSC program, fish stock specifically refers to the population that is under assessment for certification.

Fishery/Fisheries

From ScienceDaily: A fishery is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species.

Fisheries in the MSC program are committed to effective management, responsible fishing practices, and minimal environmental impact.

Commercial Fishing

Commercial Fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit.

Fisheries that participate in the MSC program are commercial fisheries and can be large, medium, or small in size.

Recreational Fishing

Recreational Fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for pleasure, fun, or non-commercial reasons.

Recreational fishers are not eligible to participate in the MSC program.

Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when the fishing rate is higher than the rate at which fish reproduce and repopulate or when there are not enough adult fish left to breed and maintain a healthy population.

Illegal Fishing

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. 

Destructive Fishing

Destructive fishing comes in many forms and is still practiced in some parts of the world. Cyanide fishing is a method where fishermen use cyanide to stun the fish, making them easier to catch. In other regions, some fishermen use explosives to kill fish so they float to the surface and are easy to collect. In addition to harming fish populations, marine habitats can be negatively impacted by destructive fishing practices.

Destructive fishing methods are not allowed in the MSC program.

Bycatch

Bycatch refers to the incidental capture of non-target species (those species that the fishery did not intend to catch).

To be MSC certified, fishing activity must not have a long-term detrimental impact on the population of any marine species. 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.

Seafood Fraud/Mislabeling

Seafood fraud – the sale of seafood products with a misleading label, description, or promise – has become a widespread form of food fraud. 

Although it is possible for seafood to become unintentionally mixed at various points in the supply chain, mislabeling threatens the bottom line of honest fishers and seafood traders, it also undermines the progress being made by sustainable fisheries and can allow illegal and unregulated fishing practices to go undetected. With the MSC Chain of Custody certification and traceability supply chain standard, seafood fraud and mislabeling are minimal. 

Learn more about how DNA testing helps fight seafood fraud.