Campaigning for an end to the MSC’s ‘conditional certification’ of fisheries
Research by On the Hook has revealed that the majority of fish and seafood carrying the MSC blue ecolabel is “conditionally certified”, meaning it does not currently meet global best practices across all performance indicators that the MSC has defined as a benchmark for sustainable fishing practices.
’This creates market distortions and disadvantages fisheries and seafood companies that have worked to achieve best practices. It also creates difficulties for consumers who seek out and pay a premium for the most sustainable seafood.
We strongly believe that the MSC should only certify fisheries that meet the MSC Standard 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.
Revealing the scale of conditional certification
On the Hook carried out a study based on certification reports that are published and accessible on the MSC website. Of all fisheries certified under the MSC programme, our research found that 91.8% are certified with conditions at their first certification.
The majority of these fisheries do not close out all conditions within the first certification cycle as required by the MSC Standard. Across all the 1342 Units of Certification (UoC) that were at least once certified against the MSC Standard, only 11.9% have improved from having conditions at their first certification to having no conditions when entering the second certification cycle. Another 3.8% had no conditions at either of the two certification audits.
In contrast, 15.4 % withdrew and 3.4% were suspended. Whereas 30.2% were still in the first certification cycle when we carried out our research, 35.5% had failed to close out all their conditions.
That explains why 73.3% of all fisheries with a ‘currently’ valid MSC certification have conditions related to their certification. From 273 fisheries certified under the MSC Standard as of 27 August 2024, only 73 fisheries achieve global best practice level across all the 28 performance indicators against which MSC evaluates fisheries’ performance. Certain species are only available from fisheries that are certified with conditions, including bigeye tuna, Greenland halibut, tusk, European plaice, and others.
Moreover, some fisheries have carried conditions over 24 years without ever having met the MSC Standard’s benchmark for sustainable fisheries. Our research findings mean that for decades consumers (through their purchasing decisions) have been supporting fisheries that do not meet global best practice levels across all the MSC’s performance indicators. Read more in our briefing: The MSC’s growth must not be based in ‘certification with conditions’
There are three major implications resulting from this for seafood businesses relying on the MSC label. Read more about them in our briefing: Conditional certification and associated sustainability claims are a high risk for businesses
As part of its secondary theory of change, the MSC identifies conditions as a necessary means for fisheries to improve over time. However, our findings contradict this theory. Rather than putting efforts into improving their fishing practices, fisheries that have been certified with conditions seem to look at ways to extend their scope of certification over time. Likewise, the MSC appears to prioritise growth of its programme over improvements in fishing practices. Read more in our briefing: Certification with conditions disregards market realities
According to their latest annual report, the MSC generated a turnover of £32.7 million in the financial year ending March 2023, holding a financial reserve of £42.1 million. A major share of the MSC’s revenues is generated through royalty fees that businesses pay for using the MSC logo on sold products. If the MSC did not certify fisheries that do not meet global best practice across all performance indicators, their products could not be sold using the blue tick label and, consequently, they would not generate income for the MSC. Read more in our briefing on the finances of the MSC
As in other certification schemes for food products, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) aims at driving the adoption of sustainable production practices through the marketing of certified sustainable products. However, there appears to be reason to doubt the MSC’s claim that fisheries improve from having conditions to meeting best practice across all PIs over the course of a certification cycle. Read more in our briefing: Conditional certification contradicts MSC’s theory of change
Case study I: The DFPO Denmark North Sea plaice fishery
Case study II: The PNA Western and Central Pacific tuna purse seine fishery
The practice of marketing products from fisheries that are certified with conditions as equal to those from fisheries that fully meet the MSC Standard leads to a devaluation of best-performing fisheries. It does not help ‘poor performing’ fisheries to improve their practices.
Certification with conditions thus undermines the MSC’s theory of change. This is why On the Hook demands the immediate stop of this practice.
