The MSC is making changes to Version 3.1 of its Fisheries Standard to ensure it delivers the intended changes on the water. 

The Fisheries Standard v3 was published in October 2022 following a four-year review. However, feedback from stakeholders including independent assessors and fishery representatives highlighted aspects that were unclear, overly complex, and unintentionally preventing certification of well-managed fisheries that have previously achieved high-scores against the Standard.  

The Fisheries Program Revisions project is currently underway to resolve key concerns and ensure the MSC program continues to drive real and lasting progress towards ending overfishing.  

As such, the MSC will be hosting a series of global workshops and is planning to host a North Atlantic workshop from 13th – 15th October in Reykjavik, Iceland. This workshop will be open to MSC partners from across the region, including Iceland, Norway, Faroes, and Greenland. Please contact the MSC North Atlantic team if you are interested in attending. Spaces are limited. 

While these revisions are in development, fisheries have been permitted more time to use Version 2.01 of the Standard. Version 2.01 remains a leading measure of fisheries sustainability, as benchmarked by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative.