Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): certified sustainable seafood

The MSC Fisheries Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well-managed and sustainable.

To become MSC certified, fisheries voluntarily apply to be assessed against the Standard. It is open to all fisheries that catch marine or freshwater organisms in the wild. The fishery must meet all three principles of the MSC Standard: sustainable stocks; minimal environmental impact; and effective management. A certified catch can be sold with the MSC blue fish label. The Fisheries Certification Process (FCP) is the instruction manual for assessors and sets out how the MSC Fisheries Standard should be interpreted during assessments.

Visit page

Related content

2021

Protegiendo la Amazonia impulsando la Revolución Natural a través de la recolección de frutos del bosque

AJE Group nació como una pequeña empresa familiar en Ayacucho, Perú y hoy es una de las mayores corporaciones peruanas con operaciones en 11 países y un éxito que da trabajo a más de 10,000 familias. AJE se dedica a fabricar y comercializar una gran variedad de bebidas, como cervezas, refrescos, bebidas energéticas, bebidas isotónicas, aguas, jugos y tés. Dentro del modelo la conservación de la biodiversidad o “oro verde” en beneficio de las comunidades es un eje central, reforzando la protección del bosque como parte intrínseca de la recolección de los frutos que componen los distintos productos de la empresa.

“Es importante impulsar una economía de mercado a través de lo que los habitantes del territorio saben hacer: proteger el bosque y recolectar los frutos.“

2025

Aliados por la Conservación

El Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SERNANP) por el Estado Peruano, tiene entre sus funciones la administración de 75 Áreas Naturales Protegidas, que representan el 15% del territorio nacional, con el objetivo de conservar su diversidad biológica. Aproximadamente, al rededor de 90 mil personas viven al interior de ANP y 750 mil personas en las zonas de amortiguamiento.

La estrategia de manejo de recursos naturales implementada, tiene como objetivo regular y formalizar el aprovechamiento de recursos de flora y fauna silvestre, para evitar la sobre-explotación de recursos, evidenciar los beneficios de la conservación y generar bienestar a la población local socia de la conservación.
Más de 2000 familias han formalizado el manejo de recursos asumiendo compromisos ambientales, sin embargo la venta de sus productos está mal pagada en el mercado. Para hacer frente a esto, la SERNANP creó la marca, Aliados por la Conservación con el objetivo de diferenciar estos productos y posicionarlos en el mercado.

2025

Ndiob’s Agriculture Development Programme

It was critical that Ndiob’s local Agricultural Development Programme of 2017 was designed in a particularly inclusive way and the people were involved in all phases of the programme, from the diagnosis/analysis to implementation. Main support came from the NGO ENDA PRONAT, that for a long time advocates for agroecology in West Africa, with other organizations and entities interested in support Ndiob’s vision and work.

In 2018, two villages – Thiallé and Soumnane – of Ndiob decided to adopt agroecology as a way of life in different areas. They will be pilot villages and accompanied by the municipality and its partners such as FAO, INP and Elephant Vert. The aim is to build on the results and gained experiences of these two villages to further multiply activities to other villages of the municipality.

Science and technical priorities for private sector action to address biodiversity loss

Target 15 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework recognizes the importance of the private sector monitoring, assessing and disclosing biodiversity-related risks, dependencies and impacts. Many businesses and financial institutions are progressing with science-based assessments, targets and disclosures and integrating into strategy, risk management and capital allocation decisions. Developments will continue in response to investor expectations, emerging corporate sustainability reporting regulations in Europe, China and elsewhere and evolving global sustainability reporting standards. Voluntary action is also being encouraged by the disclosure recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and the target-setting methods of the Science Based Targets Network. Based on experience supporting the private sector in practice, we identify four critical science and technical advances needed to enable business action at scale and to redirect finance globally to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. First, consensus on indicators and metrics for measuring changes in the state of nature and provision of ecosystem services. Second, access to global, regularly updated, location-specific and consistent nature data. Third, standardized and consistent accounting systems that structure data, support risk management and create accountability at corporate, ecosystem and national levels. Fourth, integrated risk assessment approaches to help corporates, financial institutions, central banks and supervisors to assess nature-related risks.

This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace’s legacy for a biodiverse future’.

The use of interpretation to influence the behavior of snorkelers

This solution addresses snorkeler impacts and dissatisfaction in the Mombasa Marine Park and Reserve (MMPR). James Cook University (JCU) and CORDIO delivered interpretive training to the snorkel industry to encourage pro-environmental snorkel behavior, enhance visitor experience and build sustainability. A major output was the creation of a code of conduct created by members of the snorkel industry. Results included more pro-environmental snorkel behaviors and enhanced visitor experience.

Supporting supply chain traceability in small-scale tuna fisheries

Within this project, multiple supply chains engaged in the Handline and Pole and Line fishery in Indonesia were categorized into a set of generic supply chain types. This allowed us to audit a wide set of supply chain types and create a generic improvement approach for each type. We shared improvement approaches with an entire group of industries engaged in the industry association AP2HI, at present over 20 companies and allow them to independently work towards the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard as well as increasing international traceability requirements.

New protocol to help industry generate a positive impact on biodiversity

Industries such as mining, forestry, and oil and gas have been trying for years to minimise their environmental and social impacts, but there is a growing expectation from civil society, regulators and investors that companies not only ‘do no harm’, but also make a positive contribution to the environment and society.

In many companies, projects follow procedures to avoid or minimise biodiversity impacts and restore biodiversity or offset impacts when these are unavoidable. This framework, known as the mitigation hierarchy, is increasingly used by companies and governments to improve environmental management and contribute to a net positive impact (NPI) or biodiversity net gain (BNG).

Following a NPI commitment by the mining company Rio Tinto, IUCN worked with the company to develop and trial a review protocol that could track its progress towards reaching NPI at an operational level. This protocol was tested at Rio Tinto operations in Australia, Mongolia and Madagascar.

Bringing business and conservation actors together in a convivial café space

Eco-Benin believes that business is a key determinant of the usage of natural resources; in 2018, it created a multi-stakeholder platform to motivate business to address its impacts on nature and people. The CSR Café initiative, a periodic event, offers a space for dialogue with NGOs, businesses, and State actors. NGOs help businesses realise their impacts and dependencies on nature, and stress their responsibilities and need for action. Businesses exchange with NGOs on how the latter can support them, present their successful CSR activities, and make commitments to sustainability. For instance, Eco-Benin discussed marine pollution with the Beninese brewery company, SOBEBRA. CSR Café seeks to become a hub where involved actors can find opportunities, inspiration, and expertise for CSR activities. All stakeholders, including State representatives and the public at times, jointly determine the vision, solutions, and actions for this initiative. Ultimately, this led to the Beninese government adopting the CSR Charter.

Engaging business to boost sustainability in African agriculture

Growth corridors are regions where natural resource-based industries, such as agriculture and mining, are being developed to boost economic growth. SUSTAIN (Sustainability and Inclusion Strategy for Growth Corridors), an IUCN-led initiative, aims to shape the investment and design of these corridors so that they are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Located in a vast floodplain, Tanzania’s Kilombero district hosts wetlands, waterfalls and iconic wildlife species, such as elephant, hippo, antelope and lion. The mountain rainforests are a vital water source for the surrounding area and its economy. As part of SUSTAIN, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is working with one of Tanzania’s biggest rice producers, valley farmers and mountain villages in Kilombero to increase agricultural productivity while conserving forests, water sources and wildlife at a coordinated landscape level. A pillar of the programme is a payment for ecosystems services (PES) scheme.

Green Fins: An approach to managing a sustainable diving industry

The solution targets threats to coral reefs related to scuba diving, one of the fastest growing tourism industries. Its best practice guidelines promote commercial sustainability and a contribution to increase coral reef resilience. Members are equipped with the necessary information, tools and training to mitigate threats, implement sustainable practices and promote environmental education and awareness amongst the dive industry and local communities and limit their impact on the environment.

Influencing community attitudes towards waste management

The solution addresses poor waste management in Pangani District, Tanzania for a coastal community at one pilot site. Creative and participatory outreach tools were used to raise awareness of the importance of waste management, to initiate dialogue among citizens and village leaders, and to mobilize people into action. Citizens and leaders subsequently applied their new knowledge to formulate local waste management bylaws, providing a sustainable, legal framework for improved waste management.

Boosting underutilized nutritious foods as local snack alternatives

Local, indigenous food typical for an area often proves more nutritious than store-bought imported varieties. Through shorter supply chains, the sale of these food items also benefit local farmers. However, such foods are often woefully underutilized.

Puffing or popping can help make certain local foods more attractive as snacks – providing healthy alternatives to imported fast food and sustainably using biodiversity, while boosting local incomes. Use of this technology encourages consumption of underutilized locally available cereals and legumes through value addition.