What you need to know about the MSC

What is the MSC and what are we doing?

At the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), we’re on a mission to end overfishing, to ensure that future generations can still enjoy the seafood we love. 

We're an international non-profit organisation, founded in 1997, that recognises and rewards efforts to protect and keep the oceans teeming with life and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. We have developed our rigorous sustainable fishing standards over 20 years working with scientists, fishery experts, conservation groups and the wider seafood industry.

409 fisheries representing more than 17.4% of the world's wild marine catch were engaged in our certification programme in 2020, with 89 fisheries undergoing assessment.

2030
is the year when MSC aims to have more than a third of global marine catch certified or engaged in the programme

What does our ecolabel mean?

The blue MSC ecolabel is the world’s most recognised label for sustainable seafood. It is found on retail products and in restaurants identifying fish and seafood that has been wild-caught in a sustainable way and is fully traceable. The blue MSC ecolabel is only awarded to well-managed fisheries that meet the MSC’s independently verified standards for sustainable seafood production. When consumers purchase a product with the blue MSC ecolabel on it, they...

1. Can trust where the fish or seafood comes from.
2. Are rewarding and incentivising sustainable fishing.
3. Are protecting fishermen’s livelihoods, communities and traditions.
4. Are ensuring there will be plenty of fish left in the sea. 
5. Are helping keep seafood on your plate for this and future generations.

1 in 3
fisheries around the world are fished beyond sustainable limits, and a further 60% fished to their maximum capacity

Why is our work important?

Our oceans need us. Not only do they contain up to 80% of life on earth, but they provide a vital source of protein to more than three billion people across the world. Overfishing is a problem that affects us all. It threatens fish species, millions of jobs around the world, marine eco-systems, and the supply of seafood for future generations.

With oceans under threat from overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change, the choices we make as consumers have never been more important. Purchasing seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel means that consumers can be sure their seafood comes from a sustainable fishery which minimises its impact on the marine environment.