The new 'MSC Improvement Program' offers fisheries special commercial support and incentives as a stepping stone to achieving MSC Fisheries Standard certification.
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According to the latest UN data, nearly 38% of the world's fish stocks are overfished. Faced with increasing overfishing, and aware that "there is an urgent need for more rapid progress," the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating progress in sustainable fishing practices worldwide.
Although more than 500 fisheries have been certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard - recognized as the world's leading certification program for environmentally sustainable fisheries - the Marine Stewardship Council realizes that achieving its certification is not easy, so the goal of the new 'MSC Improvement Program' is to help fisheries achieve it.
The Improvement Program aims to address the issue by offering fisheries special commercial support and incentives, provided they make a series of measurable improvements within five years. These improvements are to be carried out following an action plan that will be independently verified.
The initiative comes to complement existing Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), which also operate globally. As MSC explains, although many companies already source fish products from FIPs under their sustainable sourcing commitments, the effectiveness of these projects and their impact can vary significantly.
According to an independent study, although the number of FIPs has increased from 2 in 2006 to more than 150 by 2020, the pace of improvement has been slow, and long-term results remain elusive. Amanda Lejbowicz, MSC's Head of Fishery Standard Accessibility, explains why.
"The MSC works with hundreds of committed fisheries around the world that are leaders in sustainability. However, not all fisheries are currently able to meet our Fisheries Standard, despite the growing urgency," she said.
"This new initiative aims to incentivize fisheries to improve their sustainability practices. In doing so, we support not only the health of the oceans and future seafood supplies but also the livelihoods of the communities that rely on fishing," Lejbowicz adds.
Given the urgent need to accelerate progress towards ending - or at least reducing - overfishing, as said, this MSC's new initiative is intended to help, but the Marine Stewardship Council notes that fisheries participating in this 'MSC Improvement Program' will not be eligible to use the MSC ecolabel as their catch is not certified sustainable.
Nevertheless, once they meet minimum performance requirements on all indicators and certain traceability requirements, fisheries within the program will be able to access MSC-certified supply chains.
Moreover, as an added incentive, retail products containing seafood from fisheries included in the initiative will be able to display a back-of-pack statement indicating their participation in the 'MSC Improvement Program'.
The new program builds on a previous pilot initiative that has been in operation for several years. The first certification resulting from that pilot initiative was awarded in August 2024 to a portion of the South African Albacore fishery.