The blue MSC label

Principle 1: Sustainable Fish Stocks

Fishing must be managed so that fish populations remain healthy and productive over the long-term. Independent assessors look at whether stock levels are high enough to support continued reproduction, whether current harvest rates are sustainable, and whether a robust strategy exists to meet these goals. Where a stock has already been depleted, there must be clear evidence that a rebuilding plan is in place and working.

The Standard includes specific precautionary provisions for some species that form the base of marine food webs, requiring that sufficient populations are maintained to sustain their ecological role as a food source for larger predators.

Principle 2: Minimising environmental impact

Protecting the wider marine environment.
Fishing operations must not cause serious or irreversible harm to the marine environment. This includes:

Bycatch and non-target species
Fisheries must show that incidental catch - species caught unintentionally during fishing - does not deplete non-target populations. This includes having effective measures in place to minimise unwanted catch and prevent population decline.

Endangered, protected and sensitive species

Fisheries must also assess their impact on:

• endangered or protected species
• mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles

For these species, fisheries must demonstrate that their operations do not hinder recovery or conservation goals, and that practical steps are in place to avoid interactions where possible and minimise harm when they do occur.

Habitats

Fishing activity must not seriously or irreversibly damage the structure and function of seabed habitats. Independent assessors consider the gear types used, the sensitivity of the habitats being fished, and what measures are in place to avoid damage to vulnerable marine ecosystems.

The wider ecosystem

The fishery must not cause serious or irreversible harm to the wider ecosystem - including its food web and key habitat features. Fisheries must also have measures in place to prevent fishing gear being lost, abandoned or discarded at sea, since lost gear can continue to trap and kill marine life indefinitely.

Principle 3: Effective fisheries management

The certified fishing must operate within a management system capable of delivering sustainable outcomes over time. Independent assessors examine three main areas:

Legal and institutional framework

The fishery must comply with all relevant local, national and international laws. For stocks that cross national boundaries or are harvested in the international waters, effective cooperation between the relevant management authorities is required.

Management strategy

There must be a clear strategy with defined objectives, decision-making processes and practical tools - such as catch limits, seasonal closures or gear restrictions - designed to keep fishing sustainable and protect the marine environment.

Monitoring and evaluation

The fishery must have systems in place to monitor fish stocks, fishing effort and environmental impacts. Management measures must be regularly reviewed and updated in response to new scientific evidence or changing conditions within the fishing area.

All of the MSC's Fisheries standard technical documents are published in English language on our Fisheries program documents pages and the full MSC Fisheries Standard v3.1 is available for download here. This document contains the technical requirements used by the expert auditors to assess fishing operations.

• Any fishing operation in the world can apply to be assessed against the MSC Fisheries Standard on equal terms, regardless of its size or country of operation.
  
  However, some fisheries fall outside the scope of the MSC program. These include solely farmed operations - as the MSC program applies to wild-harvested species. Fishing operations that target marine mammals, birds, amphibians or reptiles and operations that include the use of explosives or poison are excluded.
  
• Any fishing operation convicted of forced or child labour violations or shark-finning are also excluded from the program.  

• Fishing operations are assessed by independent auditors called Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). These auditors are accredited to internationally recognised standards - specifically ISO 17065, the global benchmark for bodies that certify products, processes and services, and ISO 19011, which governs how audits are conducted. This means the auditors themselves are independently verified for both competence and impartiality. The MSC does not carry out assessments itself and has no financial interest in the outcome of any individual assessment. 
• Across the three principles of the Standard, there are over 25 specific performance indicators against which a fishery is scored. A score of 60 is the minimum acceptable threshold; 80 represents global best practice; and 100 represents the state of the art. To achieve and retain MSC certification, a fishery must score at least 60 on every indicator and average at least 80 across all indicators.
• Where a fishing operation scores between 60 and 80 on any indicator, it must commit to specific, time-bound improvements - known as "conditions of certification" - and demonstrate measurable progress within set deadlines. If a fishery fails to meet these conditions, its certification can be suspended or withdrawn.
• The full assessment reports for every certified fishery are published online and are open to public comment during the assessment process.

• Assessments to the MSC Fisheries Standard can take around 18 months to complete. Certified fishing practices are audited by independent assessors every year and operators may have their certification suspended if they do not pass the audit. After five years, the fishing operation is fully reassessed again. Any performance indicators scored between 60 and 79 will have conditions attached to them to require the fishery improves its performance over the period of the certification. 
  
• The MSC program has clear procedures for dealing with non-compliance. If a fishery fails to meet the MSC's requirements, its certification can be suspended or withdrawn. Suspension and withdrawal decisions are published publicly on the MSC website. Products from the fishery cannot be sold with the blue label, until it has demonstrated that it has returned to compliance. Similarly, supply chain businesses that fail to meet the MSC requirements can have certification suspended or withdrawn.