What is the MSC? The MSC is a global non-profit organisation (UK charity number 1066806) working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. Its fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel make it possible for consumers, retailers and restaurant professionals to recognise and reward sustainable fishing.
What does the MSC do?
The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabelling programme for wild-capture fisheries consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation guidelines for fisheries certification.
Any fish bearing the MSC ecolabel can be traced back to an independently certified sustainable fishery. A fishery that wants its products to bear the MSC ecolabel can appoint an independent certifier and get assessed under the MSC Standard. Those that pass are then able to describe their fish as ‘MSC certified’.
Using a separate ‘Chain of Custody’ certification, every link in the supply chain from ocean to plate is certified for traceability. When you see the MSC ecolabel you can be assured that the fish you are buying is the same fish that the fishermen caught. In the words of Hastings fisherman, Paul Joy, “When you’re MSC certified, you haven’t just said you’re sustainable, you’ve proved you’re sustainable”
MSC and M&J Seafood
Around the world, the MSC works with partners like M&J Seafood to transform the world's seafood markets and promote sustainable fishing practices. We are certified for MSC Chain of Custody meaning that we can sell ‘MSC certified fish’ but our work together goes beyond the technicalities of our certificate. Over the past few years, M&J Seafood has promoted MSC certified seafood as a solution to those customers that want an assurance they can pass on to their own customers that their seafood is provably sustainable. More recently, we have actively promoted the MSC’s Online Assessment project for independent restaurants and helped with the evaluation work for the defra-funded ‘MSC on the Menu’ project. Our staff and MSC staff have worked together on roadshows and workshops to spread the word that certified sustainable seafood is good for everyone’s business.
Hannah Arcaro, MSC’s UK Foodservice Manager
“Without the hard work and commitment of M&J Seafood, and the passion for sustainability that runs through M&J Seafood, we would not have been able to make the huge stride forward in foodservice that we have over the past couple of years. I hope that our work together will continue long into the future where we I hope can look forward to sustainable seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations.”
If you’re interested in getting certified and using the MSC ecolabel in your business go to www.msc.org/restaurants
