MSC Certified

1. Conduct a Pre-Assessment (Optional but Recommended): Contact an MSC-accredited Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) to conduct an informal pre-assessment of your fishery. This helps identify gaps against the MSC Fisheries Standard before committing to a full assessment, and results are publicly available on the MSC website.

1. Select an Accredited CAB: Choose an independent, MSC-accredited CAB to conduct your full assessment. A list of accredited CABs is available on the MSC website. The CAB will manage the entire assessment process on your behalf.

1. Prepare Documentation: Gather all required evidence including catch data, stock assessments, management plans, bycatch records, and ecosystem impact documentation. Your CAB will provide a detailed checklist aligned to the three MSC Fisheries Standard principles.

1. Undergo Full Assessment: The CAB conducts a comprehensive evaluation of your fishery against the MSC Fisheries Standard. This includes site visits, stakeholder consultations, and a mandatory 60-day public comment period during which any party can submit information.

1. Peer Review: An independent technical expert (peer reviewer) reviews the CAB's draft report to ensure scientific rigor and consistency with the MSC standard. Stakeholders can also submit objections during this phase.

1. Receive Certification Decision: The CAB issues a final certification decision. If your fishery meets all requirements, you are awarded MSC certification, valid for five years. Conditions (required improvements) may be attached if certain performance indicators fall below the target level.

1. Apply for Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification: Any business in your supply chain that handles, processes, or sells MSC-certified seafood must also obtain CoC certification to maintain the chain of custody and use the MSC blue label on products.

1. Maintain Certification via Annual Surveillance Audits: Your CAB will conduct annual surveillance audits throughout the 5-year certification period to verify ongoing compliance. At the end of five years, a full re-assessment is required to renew certification.

MSC fisheries are assessed against the MSC Fisheries Standard, which is organized into three core principles, each broken down into performance indicators (PIs) scored on a scale of 60–100. A score of 80 or above on each PI is required for unconditional certification; scores between 60–80 may result in certification with conditions (required improvements within the 5-year period). A score below 60 on any PI results in a fail.

Principle 1 – Sustainable Fish Stocks: Evaluates whether the target fish population is at a healthy level and can be maintained at or above the level that produces maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Key performance indicators include stock status, reference points, stock rebuilding (if applicable), and harvest strategy effectiveness. This principle ensures the fishery is not depleting the target species.

Principle 2 – Minimizing Environmental Impact: Assesses the broader ecological effects of the fishery, including impacts on non-target species (bycatch), endangered/threatened/protected (ETP) species, habitats (particularly sensitive benthic habitats), and the wider ecosystem. Fisheries must demonstrate that their practices do not cause serious or irreversible harm to the marine environment.

Principle 3 – Effective Management: Examines the governance and management systems in place to ensure the fishery operates within applicable laws and regulations, has a responsive management framework, and can adapt to new scientific information. This includes evaluation of the legal and customary framework, decision-making processes, compliance and enforcement mechanisms, and the fishery's operational management plan.

Each principle is weighted equally in the overall assessment. Fisheries that score below 80 on any PI but above 60 may still achieve certification with attached conditions — binding commitments to improve performance within a defined timeframe, verified through annual surveillance audits.

The MSC certification is the world's most widely recognized and adopted standard for wild-capture fisheries sustainability. As of the most recent data, over 400 fisheries are MSC certified, representing approximately 20% of the global marine wild catch engaged with the MSC program (including fisheries in assessment and the MSC Improvement Program). The blue fish label appears on more than 50,000 seafood products in over 100 countries, making it the dominant consumer-facing sustainable seafood label globally. Major retailers including Walmart, Costco, IKEA, and Marks & Spencer have made MSC sourcing commitments, creating strong market pull for certification.

The MSC faces competition from alternative eco-labels such as Friend of the Sea and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the latter of which addresses farmed seafood. However, MSC's rigorous third-party audit process, ISEAL Alliance membership, and backing from major environmental NGOs and retailers give it a credibility advantage that competitors struggle to match. Some critics — particularly from small-scale and artisanal fishing communities — have raised concerns about the cost and complexity of the assessment process, which can be prohibitive for smaller fisheries in developing nations. MSC has responded with programs like the MSC Improvement Program and reduced fees for developing-world fisheries.

Demand for MSC certification continues to grow, driven by increasing consumer awareness of ocean sustainability, retailer sustainability commitments, and regulatory pressure in key markets such as the EU and UK. Climate change and declining fish stocks are increasing the urgency of sustainable sourcing, reinforcing the relevance of the MSC standard. The program's geographic reach spans all major fishing nations, with particularly strong market penetration in Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia.

The Marine Stewardship Council was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative between WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and Unilever, two organizations that recognized the urgent need for a credible, market-based solution to overfishing. Unilever, at the time one of the world's largest buyers of frozen fish, was motivated by concerns about the long-term sustainability of its seafood supply chain. The MSC was established as an independent nonprofit in 1999, separating from its founding organizations to ensure impartiality and credibility. The first fishery to receive MSC certification was the Western Australian Rock Lobster fishery in 2000.

Throughout the 2000s, the MSC expanded rapidly, developing its Chain of Custody standard to ensure traceability through the supply chain and growing its network of certified fisheries and retail partners. A major revision of the MSC Fisheries Standard was completed in 2014 (version 2.0), incorporating advances in fisheries science and stakeholder feedback. The standard was further updated with version 3.0, which introduced enhanced requirements around climate change resilience, bycatch of endangered species, and social responsibility considerations. The MSC is a founding member of ISEAL Alliance, the global membership association for credible sustainability standards, which reinforces its governance and credibility credentials.