Putting the MSC on the hook for
certifying unsustainable fishing
On The Hook launched in August 2017 to address growing concerns amongst many conservationists, academics and ocean advocates that the Marine Stewardship Council ecolabelling program was, and is, failing to deliver its goal of ‘oceans teeming with life’.
On The Hook is now running an external review of the Marine Stewardship Council's standard and its business model. To find out more and to participate in this review please visit www.marinestewardshipreview.org.
Our story
We believe that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabelling scheme could and should be a force for good. As a market-based incentive for sustainable fishing, the MSC was intended to cut through and deliver real change on the water quicker than could be achieved through governmental action.
However, its certification process is increasingly being exposed as a weak indicator of ‘sustainability’. To this day, the MSC continues to certify highly damaging industrial fishing practices, while remaining inaccessible to many small-scale developing world fisheries, and concerns about certified fisheries range from habitat damage and bycatch to human rights abuses.
On The Hook launched in August 2017, bringing together NGOs, academics, industry, politicians and many other ocean advocates to call for reform to aspects of the MSC Standard relating to MSC-certified tuna fisheries. Our work initially focussed largely on MSC-certified tuna fisheries, specifically the 2018 recertification of the world’s largest tuna fishery – the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) fishery.
We contested this certification on the basis that the PNA was a ‘compartmentalised’ fishery. This meant that a fishing vessel and crew could use the same fishing gear one day to fish tuna sustainability, receiving the MSC certification, and then on the same trip also be hauling up turtles, sharks, juvenile tuna and other protected species unsustainably. We were also concerned by the levels of shark finning in this fishery in the years preceding recertification.
As a result of our successful campaign, and with the help of our allies, the MSC has now banned ‘compartmentalisation’, meaning that fisheries are required to present ALL of their activities for a holistic assessment of the fishery’s overall impact.
MSC is also currently considering strengthening its requirements regarding shark finning as part of its ongoing Fisheries Standard Review.
External review
Although changes such as the ban on compartmentalisation and reconsideration on shark finning are certainly steps in the right direction, progress from MSC lacks teeth. The threat posed to the ocean by unsustainable fishing is existential and much more needs to be done. For this reason, in June 2021 On The Hook relaunched to call for a full, external review of the Marine Stewardship Council.
Over the course of the campaign, fundamental flaws in the MSC model have continued to expose themselves and we have been repeatedly disappointed at MSC’s lack of genuine engagement with its stakeholders and critics. Piecemeal policy change will no longer cut it and far-reaching reform is needed to retain credibility and consumer trust. It is not time to give up on the model entirely, but we remain miles from a gold-standard.
MSC’s own Fisheries Standard Review process is not proving capable of delivering the scope and scale of change needed. The process is extremely slow and only open to stakeholder input in small windows on pre-determined topics. Additionally, it is not just the Standard that needs a reset but the entire mindset, governance structure and operations of the organisation.
We believe that an external root-and-branch review is needed with the starting point being: does the current MSC model achieve what we need to see in the world? If not, why not? What are the common threads linking controversial MSC certifications? How could these be solved?
We have called numerous times for the MSC to initiate such a review process itself, but it has refused to do so. Therefore, in April 2022, On The Hook launched our own external review of the Marine Stewardship Council. For more information and to participate in this review, please visit www.marinestewardshipreview.org.
In defining answers to the questions above through a public consultation and a series of roundtable discussions, and in sharing our conclusions and recommendations with the full range of stakeholders, we hope to provide MSC with a clear roadmap to proactively initiate change and demonstrate the urgency with which they must do so.
How you can help
You can find out more information about On The Hook’s external review of the MSC at www.marinestewardshipreview.org. You can also find a link there to our consultation where you can share your thoughts.
Follow us on Twitter at @OnTheHookMSC for updates and to support our campaign!
News & resources
Previous posts
- PRESS RELEASE: On The Hook launches review of the Marine Stewardship Council; calls on all to participate 12 April 2022
- On The Hook response to MSC stakeholder survey November 2021 19 November 2021
- Response from MSC to On The Hook call for independent review 18 November 2021
- Ocean Vision 2030: Are eco-certifications ready for the challenge? The case for an independent review of the MSC grows 14 October 2021
- Letter to MSC: On The Hook call for an independent review of the Marine Stewardship Council 23 September 2021
- Response from MSC to On The Hook campaign relaunch 12 July 2021
- On The Hook campaign relaunches 24 June 2021
- Renewing call for a full independent review 24 June 2021
Media
The Grocer: "On The Hook kicks off review of MSC to offer 'recommendations for improvement'"
19/04/22
Seafood Source "On The Hook launches external review of Marine Stewardship Council"
19/04/22
Food Ingredients First: "Reeling in transparency: On The Hook slams ocean certifier MSC for 'failing to deliver' on traceable seafood"
14/04/22
The Times: "Prince Charles to encourage shopping for environmentally friendly products"
13/04/22
The Fishing Daily – “On the Hook launches review of the Marine Stewardship Council"
12/04/22
Seafood Source – “On the Hook once again urges independent external review of MSC as it relaunches
01/07/21
Food Navigator – ‘MSC has set the bar for sustainability too low’: ecolabelling scheme urged to undergo review
28/06/21
The Grocer - On The Hook calls for ‘independent review’ of MSC over scrutiny and efficacy concerns
30/06/21
MSC adopts ‘On The Hook’ campaign ask, bans compartmentalisation by fishing practice
13/02/2020
Oceanographic - Experts and industry call for Marine Stewardship Council to take more urgent action on shark finning
04/02/2020
Ethical Consumer - Why the Marine Stewardship Council needs an independent review
31/07/2019
Undercurrent News - Campaign groups claim MSC’s planned standard review is not sufficiently independent
05/03/2019
Undercurrent News - UK parliamentary inquiry calls for independent review of MSC
17/01/2019
Just-food - UK parliamentary committee calls for review of MSC sustainable fishing standard
17/01/2019
Undercurrent News (December) – Campaign maintains pressure on MSC with parliamentary report due
18/12/2018
MSC questioned over shark finning fishery compartmentalization in UK parliament
18/09/2018
The Times - ‘Sustainable’ tuna fishing kills endangered silky sharks - Ben Webster
24/02/2018
Undercurrent News MSC adopts new requirement for fisheries assessments - Neil Ramsden
19/01/2018
Undercurrent News Retailers, MSC advisory board said to want changes to assessments Neil Ramsden
18/01/2018
The Independent Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose voice major concerns about sustainability of tuna fisheries Ben Chapman
18/01/2018
The Grocer Supermarkets write to MSC over tuna certification concerns - Kevin White
17/01/2018
The Guardian: Consumers 'betrayed' over sustainability of world’s biggest tuna fishery
31/08/2017
