The Ocean Stewardship Fund is supported by a variety of sources, including 5% of the MSC’s annual royalty income from ecolabelled products as well as donations from third-party funders.
Evolving the Ocean Stewardship Fund
The Ocean Stewardship Fund is scaling up to ensure it has a greater impact on growing global sustainable fishing practices.
The MSC’s experience has shown that many small-scale fisheries, particularly in developing economies, face unique challenges in their transition towards sustainability. A lack of data, technical capacity, financial resources, and/or government support often constrain such fisheries in adopting and implementing sustainable practices.
The MSC is mobilising resources from third-party funders in order to increase its capacity to support such fisheries through our Ocean Stewardship Fund. We will continue to dedicate 5% of our annual royalty income to the fund.
Reach of the Ocean Stewardship Fund
Since 2019, the MSC has awarded 64 grants totalling US$2.8 million through the Ocean Stewardship Fund. We have an ambition to raise over €10 million (US$11 million) by the end of 2022 and have already mobilised over US$3 million from third-party donors and MSC royalties over the last year.
A total of US$850,000 will be awarded to fisheries improvement projects in the Mediterranean and West Africa throughout 2022, supported by the MAVA Foundation. A further US$1 million will fund selected fisheries committed to sustainability through a loan guarantee scheme, supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
Donor funds make a real contribution to accelerating sustainable fishing globally and safeguarding our sustainable seafood supplies for the future.
MAVA Foundation funded projects
Understanding the health of the Palamós shrimp fishery
The Marine Science Institute of the Spanish Research Council is receiving (€ 25,200) to undertake a stock assessment of the blue and red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus), in order to progress the sustainability of the fishery. The fishery is also part of the multi-stakeholder MedFish programme, one of the MSC Pathway to Sustainability projects.
Ocean Stewardship Fund
We are accelerating progress by funding innovative research and supporting fisheries at all stages on the path to sustainability.