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.
We review and develop the MSC Fisheries Standard in consultation with scientists, the fishing industry and conservation groups.
We review and develop the MSC Fisheries Standard in consultation with scientists, the fishing industry and conservation groups.
How is it used?
When a fishery is successfully certified to the Fisheries Standard, its certified catch can be sold with the blue MSC label.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 independent certifiers called Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) – also called certification bodies.
What is assessed?
The MSC Fisheries Standard has three core principles that every fishery must meet.
The certification bodies measure the fisheries performance using 28 indicators for each of these principles.