Research from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has confirmed that fish stocks certified sustainable and carrying the eco-label are healthy and well-managed to ensure continuing sustainability.
The first comprehensive analysis of MSC-certified fisheries was detailed in the research paper Ecolabel Conveys Reliable Information on Fish Stock Health to Seafood Consumers, published today in the scientific journal Plos One. Led by the MSC and co-authored by independent scientists from universities worldwide, the study compares catch data, fishing mortality rates and population levels for 45 MSC-certified stocks and 177 uncertified stocks. The data relating to stocks targeted by non-MSC certified fisheries was sourced from the public RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database.
The study found that the majority of MSC-certified fisheries are maintaining stocks at high levels and fish stocks targeted by MSC-certified fisheries have increased in abundance at a faster rate than non-certified over the last 10 years. The research also indicates no stocks targeted by MSC-certified fisheries are overfished and a small group of stocks targeted by certified fisheries are depleted but those stocks have strict plans in place to reduce catches and rebuild to desired levels.
“The sources and methods used in this study are internationally recognized and robust and its results are straightforward. To me the study shows that the MSC eco-label is indeed a trustworthy mark for sustainably exploited fish stocks,” said Gerd Hubold, scientist at the German von Thünen Institute of Agricultural Trade Policy and World Nutrition and former general secretary of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
