Q&A with the Marine Stewardship Council
Welcome to the final week of my National Seafood Month campaign with the Marine Stewardship Council.
Over the last six weeks the MSC and I have been working together to educate consumers all about sustainable seafood and the MSC certification program. We chatted about the MSC sustainability criteria, how the certification supports fishing communities, provided practical tips for finding sustainable seafood at the grocery store, and highlighted the role of small-scale fisheries.
Now, we’re wrapping up by giving you the opportunity to ask the MSC anything! Throughout the campaign we collected your questions on social media and today the MSC has responses to many of those questions.
Check them out!
What did you think of Seaspiracy?
The film raised a wide range of ocean-related issues, and we can agree on one point: more attention is needed on the crisis of overfishing.
As climate change, population growth and overfishing converge to create a perfect storm, it has never been more urgent to take care of our ocean so we can fully harness its potential for climate regulation, sustainable development and food security.
It is our stance that collectively working towards positive, practical and realistic solutions is the most effective path forward. As such, it’s unfortunate that the filmmakers admittedly opted to bypass factual science and instead rely on overly brief, oversimplified and at times misleading claims to support a conclusion we know to be false: sustainable fishing does not exist.
Decades of science and research, and tens of thousands of experts in fisheries management, marine biology, oceanography, environmental studies and many, many more disciplines have all contributed to better understanding the intricacies of ocean ecosystems, the impact of human activity on them, and how we can better manage that impact through, among other things, sustainable fishing strategies.
If humans are smart and industrious enough to devise sustainable management strategies for other natural resources like water, energy or lumber, why not for seafood?
Advocacy for environmental causes and issues plays a role in advancing progress, absolutely. But to achieve that goal it has to start by being based in truth, well-researched facts and realistic solutions. Otherwise it can add to confusion, disinformation, risk undermining the public’s trust and lead to disengagement, which often does the opposite of spurring progress.
In a world already challenged by the proliferation of ‘fake news’ we all need to be more mindful of what we consume, starting with information. One suggestion is, when it comes to environmental issues, if all you’re hearing is doom and gloom that should be a sign to also look for more balanced sources of information where effort is made to highlight credible solutions.
Finally, if you’re reading this post you may have already come across my own analysis of the film: Seaspiracy: What’s the Real Catch. I recommend checking it out for a deeper dive into some of the film’s major topics. You can also check out my video response here.
What makes the MSC ecolabel more trustworthy than other ecolabels that are just greenwashing?
Greenwashing is an intentionally misleading marketing tactic that allows consumers to believe a given product is more environmentally friendly than it is.
There are multiple factors that contribute to making an ecolabel credible and trustworthy. The ISEAL Alliance lists 10 Credibility Principles for sustainability systems, which as a member the MSC must meet: sustainability impacts, measurable progress, continued improvement, impartiality, transparency, truthfulness, reliability, collaboration, stakeholder engagement and value creation.
The MSC also meets the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, as well as meeting and outperforming all other wild seafood programs according to the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative benchmark.
The purpose of the MSC blue fish label is to connect consumers with wild-caught seafood sourced from an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. In terms of avoiding the types of greenwashing consumers can be exposed to – like seafood fraud, mislabelling and exaggerated sustainability claims – the MSC prevents this in two key ways:
- Ensuring the fishery is sustainable: The MSC Fisheries Standard sets the bar for what globally recognized sustainable fishing looks like, always based on the most up-to-date and independent science and with fisheries audited annually.
- Ensuring the delivery system is verified: The MSC Chain of Custody Standard includes checks and balances throughout the entire supply chain to verify that seafood with the MSC blue fish label comes from a certified fishery, is never substituted and is correctly labelled. All partners who use the MSC label also have to submit associated on-pack claims to be reviewed and approved.
Can fisheries with high levels of bycatch get MSC certified?
While there is currently no internationally accepted definition for the terms “bycatch” the MSC uses the term ‘unwanted catch’ in its Standard, the definition of which has been adapted from part of the description of “bycatch” in FAO international guidelines. This includes undersized or surplus individuals that fisheries do not have quota for, endangered, threatened and protected species and unwanted “non-target” species. Non-target means the species the fishery is not specifically trying to catch when fishing.
Almost every form and scale of commercial fishing will have some level of unwanted catch, the key is whether it causes significant impact to the species. That said, fishing activity with unwanted catch can be deemed environmentally sustainable IF the populations of those non-target species remain healthy.
All MSC certified fisheries must provide independent evidence that their activities are not significantly impacting any of the species they catch (target or non), or the surrounding marine environment. Even after certification many fisheries continue to improve their practices on numerous fronts – in the last 3 years alone MSC certified fisheries delivered 134 improvements benefiting endangered, threatened and protected species and reducing bycatch. Another 66 improvements benefited ecosystems and habitats.
There is no such thing as a “perfectly sustainable” fishery so looking for seafood from fisheries that are MSC certified means you’re supporting and encouraging fishermen who work hard every day to meet one of the world’s most recognized and rigorous programs for international best practices.
Which seafoods are unsustainable and we should stay away from?
This question is often asked, but the answer is not as simple as providing a blanket statement about which species are okay to eat and which ones should be avoided. Contrary to popular belief, determining sustainability at the species level is too broad and rather should be done at the more granular fishery level.
There are so many factors that go into what makes a particular fishery sustainable – including gear type used, the health of the surrounding ecosystem, and how the fishery responds to changes in the environment – that it is more accurate to discuss the sustainability of specific fish stocks (‘stock’ is another word for group or population of fish) rather than the overall species.
For example, there are five species of tuna and 23 known stocks. While some are struggling, many are well managed and abundant, meaning it wouldn’t be accurate to claim tuna is or isn’t sustainable as a species. Instead, we would say that this particular albacore tuna comes from the BC Albacore Tuna Fishery on the west coast of Canada and it is MSC certified sustainable.
Specifically, this means that this particular fishery has voluntarily chosen to enter the MSC program, and was scored by an independent third-party assessor who determined that the BC Albacore Tuna fishery meets all of the MSC science-based sustainable fishing requirements.
Long story short: if you’re concerned whether the seafood you want to purchase is sustainable, then always check for the MSC blue fish label so you can be sure that specific item comes from an MSC certified fishery.
Are sardines and mackerel sustainable?
In general, pelagic fish like sardines and mackerel which are smaller in size can reproduce more quickly and are more numerous than larger fish, so technically they can be more resilient to fishing efforts. That said, to be called sustainable each individual fish stock must be separately assessed for its health. As in the question above, some stocks of sardines or mackerel can be healthy while others are depleted.
Why is only 12% of seafood MSC certified? And therefore, can you call current seafood as a whole sustainable?
Not all seafood is sustainable and a lot of work still needs to be done to improve the way that oceans, lakes and rivers are fished. The UN FAO estimates that 34% of fisheries are overfished, which illustrates the continued need for programs like the MSC and others that are working on solutions to overfishing.
Globally 14% of all wild marine catch is MSC certified with another 5% engaged in the program (suspended and working their way back to certification or in assessment for certification). This breaks down as:
- 421 fisheries certified
- 25 fisheries suspended
- 70 fisheries in assessment
19% might not seem like that much, but consider that it can sometimes take years of hard work for a single fishery to achieve certification, and for as long as it remains engaged in the program, every one continues to deliver improvements and undergo annual audits.
The other reason for the 19% is that the MSC is a nonprofit environmental organization, not a governing or enforcement body. Certification is voluntary and the MSC cannot force any fishery into the program. Fisheries have to want to demonstrate the sustainability of their practices via certification, and submit to annual audits to make sure they continue to meet the standard.
It also means that unlike with other seafood programs, MSC certified fisheries are all actively engaged in delivering measurable improvements so they can meet and maintain a very high bar for sustainable fishing.
For better or for worse, there is no single global entity or organization that regulates fishery practices. Every country has its own laws, fishing quotas and approaches to fisheries management. This is why it’s helpful to have a globally recognized sustainability standard like the MSC that, when met, indicates that no matter where in the world a fishery is located, it has gone through the same rigorous assessment process.
Beyond working directly with fisheries engaged in the program, the MSC also invests in a number of projects to help fisheries and experts all over the world move towards more sustainable fishing practices. A few examples include current research projects, the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund and the Developing World and small-scale fisheries program.
Can you take us through the metrics of what makes something MSC certified?
Check out our blog post from week one where we dive into the specifics of how fisheries and obtain the MSC certification.
Why is the MSC certification so expensive?
Obtaining the MSC certification is a rigorous process that can be costly and time-consuming.
MSC assessments and certification is a rigorous process that requires expertise, proper data, and time to properly engage stakeholders, among other factors.
In general, the cost of the certification assessment depends on:
- The complexity of the fishery
- The availability of information and research on the fishery’s impact
- The level of stakeholder involvement
- The time it takes a CAB to carry out the assessment
It’s important to note that the MSC does not charge money to fisheries that wish to be certified, nor do we receive any payment from fisheries that undergo assessment or achieve certification. Instead, fisheries are audited by an accredited and independent third-party organization – called Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). All certification fees are paid by the fisheries directly to the CABs, who set their own fees. Therefore, the MSC has no influence over how much certification costs the fisheries.
To ease the financial costs of certification, the MSC introduced the Ocean Stewardship Fund. This includes support for costs of an assessment for recertification through the Recertification Assistance Fund. Fisheries in the In-Transition to MSC program are eligible for the Transition Assistance Fund, which supports the cost of the required sustainability improvements. Fisheries can also apply for the Science and Research Fund to support the costs of making the improvements needed to retain certification.
If MSC is not for profit why do they have many millions of pounds of profit after expenses?
The term ‘profit’ does not apply to a charity. As a nonprofit the MSC has no shareholders and does not (cannot) distribute any surplus of income it makes, as is the case with ‘for profit’ companies. Any surplus goes into reserves that are used to achieve the MSC’s charitable objectives in the future.
Holding funds in reserve is generally good practice for non-profit organizations – it offers short to medium term protection from things like potential fluctuations in income and expenditures. It also allows us to make plans for the future, such as investing in digital projects and/or in the Ocean Stewardship Fund.
Our Board of Trustees sets and actively reviews our policy on reserves, which dictates we should be able to cover 9-12 months of planned operational activity for the following financial year. Our current reserves fall within that policy and all financial disclosure can be found in our 2020-2021 Annual Report.
We do not consider these reserves to be excessive, but prudent management of our organization’s future so we can continue to deliver on our vision and mission.
What about the ASC certification?
While the MSC program applies to wild caught seafood, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is a separate, equally specialized certification for environmentally and socially responsible farmed fish and seafood.
Both organizations are independent nonprofits with a shared vision of responsibly managed and sustainable global seafood supplies, supported by secure supply chains.
Though wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture production face very different challenges and thus require different standards to evaluate the sustainability of their operations, both wild and farmed seafood is subject to the same supply chain challenges like fraud, mislabelling and greenwashing. Both the MSC and ASC use the same Chain of Custody certification for the supply chain which includes traceability requirements, ensuring the source of the seafood and preventing these very issues.
Many of you also asked about small scale fisheries and how they can afford certification. I did a deep dive on that topic last week. You can read more about it HERE.
This officially marks the end of my National Seafood Month Campaign with the Marine Stewardship Council! I learned so much during these past few weeks and I hope that you did too. I am so appreciative of the MSC for sitting down with me and taking the time to chat about the ins and outs of the certification, how the sustainability criteria came to be, and what they’re doing to make their certification more inclusive to small scale fisheries.
I hope you all enjoyed this collaboration and learned something new along the way. If you want to revisit any of the topics from the campaign, you can check out this page.
For more information from MSC Canada Program Director Kurtis Hayne check out these two articles:
Harnessing the power of sustainable food from the ocean can help feed a growing planet
How sustainable fishing helps in the fight against climate change
