The Marine Stewardship Council will rethink how to proceed with reforming its Unit of Assessment requirements after a proposed policy reform that would have prohibited the catch of MSC-certified and non-MSC certified fish in the same vessel trip failed to pass.
The MSC moved to reform its certification standards in January 2018 after intense criticism from non-governmental organizations including WWF International and the advocacy group On the Hook.
The MSC allows fisheries to define their own target stocks, management areas, fishing gear, and vessels, known collectively as its Unit of Assessment (UoA). In early 2017, the MSC initiated a review of its UoA requirements. The organization decided on 19 January, 2018, that seafood would only be allowed to enter MSC-certified supply chains if it came from fishing trips on which all activities on the target stock were certified.
However, the proposed rule was rejected at an August 2018 meeting of MSC stakeholders, including representatives of industry and some NGOs, according to an MSC statement.
The original policy decision, in January 2018, was due to be finalized in August following further analysis, testing and consultation with more than 50 interest groups ranging across the NGO, fishing and commercial sectors. However, in that consultation, the majority of the groups consulted did not favor the chosen solution, with many concerned that it would be "difficult to operationalize,” the MSC said.
As a result, the MSC Board of Trustees has reopened its review of the UoA requirements.
“This ‘Chain of Custody’ approach was subject to further analysis, testing, and consultation in line with the MSC’s consultation process,” MSC said. “Reflecting its commitment to addressing this issue, the Board has instructed the MSC to investigate alternative options over the next six months and produce a new solution which will be presented for formal consultation.”
In a prepared statement, MSC Fisheries Standard Director Rohan Currey said the organization will seek a different solution.
“The solution we found in January clearly did not have the backing of the NGOs and industry groups involved, many of whom felt it would be difficult to apply in fisheries,” Currey said. “As a result, we will be focusing our efforts on finding a better solution that will further strengthen the program’s ability to catalyze improvements in global fisheries and which will have the support of these key groups."
The MSC did not provide further information on whether it will continue to push to end its support for “compartmentalization,” a term for the use of both certified and uncertified fishing gear or catch methods on a single trip. Nor did it offer a timetable for when it might announce any further proposed changes.
"The MSC has always welcomed constructive stakeholder engagement and dialogue. Through a transparent and inclusive process, it has become clear that there are many practical challenges to implementing the proposed revision to MSC’s Unit of Assessment requirements, in particular, the likelihood that such rules could negatively impact on developing world and small-scale fisheries,” Currey said. “MSC is therefore reopening the review and is committed to working with our stakeholders to find the right solution to this highly-complex challenge.”
MSC has not yet issued a response to a request from SeafoodSource for more information regarding exactly how the decision was made to scrap the proposed rule, or whether MSC’s board itself voted to reject the rule.
