The MSC is reviewing and revising their certification standards

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has published proposed updates to its MSC fisheries standard. According to MSC the proposed changes will ensure that MSC and MSC-certified fish continue to be world leading in sustainability. The standard is important to the fishmeal industry and we follow closely new developments in the standard.

MSC has opened a 60-day consultation period from 1 February 2022 to 4 April 2022 where all stakeholders are welcome to provide comments to the proposed changes.

The MSC standard under review – where did it start and where is it going?

The proposed changes to the Standard includes the following issues (click the link for more information about the proposed changes):

• Changes to the scope of the MSC program
• Clarifying best practice for reducing impacts on endangered, threatened and protected and out of scope species
• Identifying further solutions to ensure MSC certified fisheries are not involved in shark finning
• Supporting the prevention of gear loss and ghost  fishing
• Reviewing Principle 1 with a focus on harvest strategies
• Ensuring effective fisheries management systems are in place
• Changes to the Fisheries Certification Process including those related to the harmonisation of assessments
• Ensuring habitat performance indicators are clear and consistently applied
• Ensuring ecosystem performance indicators are clear and consistently applied
• Clarifying requirements for modified assessment trees for enhanced bivalves, salmon and introduced species
• Requirements for managing fish stocks including requirements for dynamic fisheries, low tropic level (LTL) species and Inseparable or practicably inseparable (IPI) stocks, and specific requirements for crabs, squid and octopus
• Making the MSC Fisheries Standard more efficient
• Ensuring the Risk-Based Framework continues to deliver precautionary and consistent assessments for data-limited fisheries

To take part in an online survey and comment on whether the proposed revisions to the Standard are effective and can be feasibly applied and audited:

Stakeholders are invited to take part in an online survey and comment on whether the proposed revisions to the Standard are effective and can be feasibly applied and audited. The proposed Standard documents can be accessed. To take part in the online survey and download the proposed Standard documents click here