The
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent non-profit
organization with an ecolabel and fishery certification programme.
Fisheries that are assessed and meet the standard can use the MSC blue
ecolabel. The MSC mission is to 'reward sustainable fishing practises’.
When fish is bought that has the blue MSC ecolabel, it should indicate
that this fishery operates in an environmentally responsible way and
does not contribute to the global environmental problem of overfishing.
The
MSC environmental standard for sustainable fisheries was developed over
two years through a consultative process. The three principles of the
MSC standard consider:
- The condition of the fish stock(s) of the fishery
- The impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem
- The fishery management system
The
MSC standard is consistent with the ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling
of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Wild Capture Fisheries’ adopted
by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2005. Any fishery
that wishes to become MSC certified and use the ecolabel is assessed
against the MSC standard by a third party, independent certification
body that has been independently accredited to perform MSC assessments
by Accreditation Services International (ASI). Chain of custody
certification along the supply chain from boat to point of sale ensures
that seafood sold bearing the ecolabel originated from an MSC certified
fishery.
| Address: |
Marine House, 1 Snow Hill
|
| City: | London |
| State: | (EC1A 2DH) |
| Telephone: | +44 (0)20 7246 8900 |
| Fax: | +44 (0)20 7246 8901 |
| Homepage: | Link to Homepage |
| Email: | info@msc.org |