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’.
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 also recently strengthened its requirements regarding shark finning under Fisheries Standard 3.0 which came into effect in May 2023.
On the Hook advocates for the fair and transparent use of the MSC blue ecolabel for fisheries that meet the highest scientific standards for sustainability. The MSC now allows fisheries that only partly meet these standards to use their ecolabel now and promise to make improvements in the future. The large majority of fish and seafood carrying the MSC blue ecolabel are now “conditionally certified” with an understanding that their practices will improve in the future but that they do not currently meet MSC’s highest standards. This creates market confusion and disadvantages fisheries and seafood companies that have worked to achieve these highest standards and confusion for consumers who seek out and pay a premium for the most sustainable seafood.
We strongly believe that the MSC should only certify best practice fisheries with the highest levels of sustainability performance and risk mitigation certainty, and that these fisheries must be certified unconditionally. Conditional certification can no longer be used as a tool to allow the certification of fisheries that aspire to — but have not yet —met global best practices for harvesting sustainable fish and seafood. Read more here.
News & resources
Previous posts
- On The Hook update: We’ve set out a roadmap for MSC reform, now we are calling on them to act on it 23 August 2023
- Press Release: New report released by On The Hook exposes sector-wide concerns about Marine Stewardship Council’s performance and issues urgent call for reform 7 July 2023
- PRESS RELEASE: 17th October Public polling reveals high expectations of seafood ecolabels and mismatch between expectations and MSC reality 17 October 2022
- 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
Seafood Source: Make Stewardship Count, On The Hook release reports critical of Marine Stewardship Council standard
15/06/23
Perishable News: New Report Released by On The Hook Details Sector-Wide Concerns About Marine Stewardship Council
19/06/23
Seafood Source: As MSC continues to grow, On The Hook calls for stricter standards
31/10/22
Perishable News: Public polling reveals high expectations of seafood ecolabels; On The Hook highlights mismatch between expectations and MSC reality
19/10/22
Food Ingredients First: Certifying sustainable seafood called into queston as meaning of eco-labels is examined
18/10/22
Undercurrent News: Campaign group claims consumer expectations of MSC label exceed reality
18/10/22
The Grocer: Consultation reveals fresh concerns about Marine Stewardship Council ecolabel
04/10/22
Fish Focus: On The Hook claims that a consultation reveals major concerns about performance of MSC ecolabel
04/10/22
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
Perishable News: New Report Released by On The Hook Details Sector-Wide Concerns About Marine Stewardship Council
19/06/23
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
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
