Ocean Stewardship Fund 2026 awards

Reliable, verifiable data is the foundation of effective fisheries management, enabling decisions that protect fish stocks and reduce impacts on vulnerable species.

Data gaps are limiting progress on some of the urgent challenges facing the ocean, and this year the Ocean Stewardship Fund is providing over £1 million in support of fisheries working to overcome these challenges and accelerate progress on the water.

Projects supported this year are helping fisheries tackle real‑world challenges across a range of regions and species.

Science and Research funding

Accelerating At-Sea Monitoring

The MSC has awarded a series of grants to fund practical collaborative workshops with up to 40 fisheries across regions from East Asia, the Iberian Atlantic, Southern Africa and Australia. 

2026 Awards: 

• Ocean Outcomes: Advancing best practices for at-sea monitoring in East Asian tuna longline fisheries
• Australian Fisheries Management Authority and partner TBD: Building a national approach to independent monitoring, using Western Australia as a case study  
• Birdlife South Africa: Regional workshops on advancing at-sea electronic monitoring for South African and Namibian fisheries.  
• Sinerxia: Accelerating at-sea monitoring across the Iberian Atlantic arc  
• International Seafood Sustainability Foundation: Advancing at-sea monitoring solutions for tuna fisheries

Developing Harvest Strategies and Control Rules

Harvest strategies and control rules guide when and where fisheries can operate, based on the health of fish stocks. They help fisheries respond to changes in populations, and require strong collaboration between fishers, scientists and managers to develop and implement. The Ocean Stewardship Fund is supporting partners worldwide to advance these approaches across a range of fisheries.

2026 awards:

• Hawaii Longline Association: Establishing the Scientific Framework for a North Pacific swordfish harvest strategy
• Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in collaboration with the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC): Development of a Southwest Pacific swordfish harvest strategy
• Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute: Optimisation of dynamic fshing strategies and multi-stakeholder collaboration mechanisms for Putian Manila clam parent fishery
• Asosiasi Perikanan Pole & Line dan Handline Indonesia (AP2HI): Improving the reliability of operational catch and effort data to support harvest strategy of skipjack tuna in Indonesia archipelagic waters
• University of Alaska Fairbanks: Develop Harvest Control Rules for the NSEI (Chatham Strait) sablefish fishery

Applied Research

A research grant to the University of Queensland builds on significant reductions in the catch of vulnerable shark species in a tuna fishery in Papua New Guinea. Using a five‑year dataset with 100% observer coverage, the project will combine quantitative analysis with fleet operator engagement  to identify which interventions drove these improvements, which changes were incidental, and which practices could be applied more widely to other fisheries. 

Transition Assistance Funding

The Transition Assistance Fund supports fisheries that are working towards MSC certification through the MSC Improvement Program.

2026 awards

• Conservation Mahi Mahi and Fundación Escuela De Pesca Del Pacífico Oriental (EPESPO):In Ecuador and Peru, co-funding for the installation of electronic monitoring systems on vessels in a mahi-mahi longline fishery, alongside satellite connectivity to enable real time data transmission.
• Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ICM-CSIC): In Spain , the Palamós blue and red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) trawl fishery funding is supporting the development of robust management strategies, completing stock assessments for key species, and collecting data on ecosystem impacts. 
• Vietnam Tuna Association: In Vietnam, piloting an integrated observer and electronic monitoring system in a tuna purse seine fishery to generate the first verifiable data on catch and species interactions for the fleet, supporting improved management, greater transparency, and more alignment with international best practice.
• Pronatura Noroeste A.C: In Mexico, the North Pacific barred sand bass support will strengthen management systems, close certification gaps, and support traceability. 
• SeaFish/TBD: In the UK, co-funding to support the adoption and roll out of new gear that is proven to reduce by-catch in Nephrops using incentive models and demonstrate supply chain financing approaches.  
• Camara Peruana del Calamar Gigante (CAPECAL): In Peru, the Jumbo Flying Squid fishery is strengthening monitoring, vessel tracking, governance mechanisms, and transparency. 
• Conservación Sostenible de los Recursos Marinos y Acuáticos (COSOREMA): In Mexico, the  Pacific artisanal shrimp fishery is working to strengthen stock assessments, monitoring, collaboration, and transparency.
• KOLEKTIF: In Indonesia, fisheries face gaps in governance and harvest strategy systems across provinces. . a collaboration of 3 prawn fisheries will develop the scientific data and stakeholder engagement needed to develop comprehensive harvest control strategy and strengthen governance frameworks aligned with MSC benchmarks.