Marine Stewardship Research Articles

A global review of MSC certification: Why fisheries withdraw?

The Marine Stewardship Council is the leader in seafood ecolabel certification. Despite its high impact in promoting sustainable fishing and securing price premiums, a large proportion of fisheries withdraw from the scheme during or after certification. We, therefore, investigate the factors influencing the likelihood of withdrawal. To achieve this, we analysed publicly available information from 301 fisheries that have embarked on the certification process using survival analysis methods to investigate the withdrawal rate. It was found that the fishing gear used, and geographical location were the principal factors affecting the likelihood of withdrawal and that the risk of withdrawal is greatest during the full-assessment process and the first five years of certification. Our study also reviews the uneven global expansion of MSC ecolabelling by region and identifies factors that influence withdrawal and need to be considered in fisheries entering MSC certification.

Illuminating the mechanisms to mitigate forced and child labour risks within Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries

Growing concern about forced and child labour abuses in the fishing industry has led to calls to integrate social issues within the sustainable seafood sector. While abusive labour practices in fisheries are increasingly studied, and consensus is building on overarching principles and benchmarks, few studies have reviewed the practical mechanisms available to mitigate forced and child labour risks. This paper provides an overview of labour risk management practices reported by fisheries certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard, representing over 15% of the world’s marine capture fishery production. MSC-certified fisheries have been required to submit forced and child labour statements since 2018. The statements were analysed to examine the mechanisms to mitigate forced and child labour across different fishery contexts. Results indicated where MSC-certified vessels were broadly in line with expectations from international, private, and NGO standards or guidelines on labour issues, but also illustrated where there were departures. These could be explained by differences in how policy and practice are applied in different regulatory and cultural contexts, such as the requirement for use of written contracts in countries that have ratified ILO C188 versus the preference in some cases for the use of verbal share agreements. This reflects the challenge of creating culturally-appropriate, adaptable standards that are able to detect real risks of labour violations. To fully consider these nuances, our proposed framework captures key aspects of setting, implementing, and monitoring and enforcement of requirements alongside the roles of government, companies, and civil society. We propose this framework could be applied more broadly to evaluate fisheries’ practices.

The Role of MSC Marine Certification in Fisheries Governance in Finland

Finnish fisheries are regulated first and foremost by the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and quotas determined by the EU. Certain fisheries have also been certified according to the international Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard. The aim of this article is to study the added value that the MSC brings to the governance of the ecological sustainability of Finnish marine fisheries. This is achieved by scrutinizing how the MSC addresses the ecosystem approach and how different experts and stakeholders see the role of the MSC in contributing to sustainable fisheries. We endeavor to unravel the sustainability benefits that non-state regulations can offer for a fishery in the Baltic Sea that is heavily regulated and controlled by the EU. We found that the MSC has led to some minor positive changes in fishing and that the indirect support the MSC provides when following scientific advice is even more important.

Ocean and Marine Stewardship in Africa: The Marine Stewardship Council Certification in Namibia and The Gambia

Ocean and marine stewardship activities across different geographical areas contribute to global sustainability efforts, management, and conservation of ocean resources. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), through its sustainability standards and market-based mechanisms, rewards best practices for wild-caught seafood. To date, very few fisheries in Africa have participated in the MSC’s full assessment and obtained its certification. This paper explores the MSC certification scheme in the African continent by examining two case studies: the Namibian hake (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus) trawl and longline fishery and The Gambian sole bottom set gillnet fishery (Cynoglossus senegalenis and Synaptura cadenati). Drawing on document analysis, institutional ethnography, and extensive collaborative research with actors in these fisheries, we utilize three stewardship dimensions, i.e., Care-Knowledge-Agency, to qualitatively analyze how the MSC program provides an opportunity of actors to design ocean stewardship tools and promote fisheries sustainability in Africa. The Namibian fishery demonstrates a large-scale fishery with the adequate agency, technical knowledge, and interest in self-design improvements and stewardship, compared to The Gambian fishery, a small-scale fishery motivated to achieve certification but depends largely on external support to coordinate improvements and stewardship activities. The key motivation for Namibia and The Gambia actors to participate in the MSC’s assessment is the interest in increasing their international market access while ensuring ecosystem-based management and sustainability of the fisheries. Successful engagement with MSC requires establishing good governance structures, involvement of local actors, technical knowledge, and sufficient financial resources. The paper demonstrates the need for practitioners, government/market-actors, and academia to encourage sustainable seafood management in Africa by promoting various national and regional sustainability campaigns, environmental awareness programs and ocean stewardship initiatives.

Nā Wa‘a Mauō Marine Stewardship Program: Perpetuating the practices of our Kūpuna to care for our oceans and strengthen our next generation of marine stewards

Nā Wa‘a Mauō means the canoes that sustain us. The Nā Wa‘a Mauō Marine Stewardship Program uses wa‘a (outrigger canoes) as vehicles to care for our oceans. The mission of Nā Wa‘a Mauō is to perpetuate the practices of our Kūpuna (ancestors) by using our Native tools and language to care for our oceans with a vision of ‘āina momona (fruitful and productive lands) through Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) stewardship. Our program hosts monthly community workdays on Hawai‘i Island, inter-island exchanges across the state, and the Honuaiākea Voyaging program for Kānaka ‘Ōiwi youths transitioning into adulthood. The Nā Wa‘a Mauō program blends Indigenous and institutional sciences to create community-driven marine stewardship efforts that are scientifically rigorous and culturally rooted. As Kānaka ‘Ōiwi, we have generational ties to our lands and intimate connections to our environment that gift us with the kuleana (responsibility) to care for our islands.

Promoting Sustainable Seafood Market in Japan: Perspectives From MSC and ASC Applicants

Japanese seafood market has witnessed a slow but steadfast increase in the amount of certified seafood circulated on the market despite the fact that there are few incentives to apply for certification schemes such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). This is because it is difficult for the producers to reap benefits from the price premium as the retailers are unwilling to charge the consumers with a higher price for the certified seafood; at the same time, there are no sourcing codes set by the retailers to ban the access of uncertified seafood. By conducting semi-structured interviews with the applicants of MSC and ASC, this study reveals the motivation of the applicants such as the desire of producers to differentiate their seafood products from similar products on the market and to establish stable distribution channels with large retailers. We argue that this type of motivation poses a unique challenge in promoting sustainable seafood in Japan, that is the certified product needs to remain a small proportion of circulated seafood products.

Bycatch in the West Greenland lumpfish fishery, with particular focus on the common eider population

Incidental bycatch is a well-known challenge in gillnet fisheries throughout the world, and the fishery for North Atlantic lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus roe is no exception. In Greenland, the fishery was Marine Stewardship Council-certified in 2015 but has pending conditions related to bycatch quantification, enforcement and mitigation strategies. To improve this situation and to assess the potential impact of bycatch, we collected independent on-board observer data on non-target fish and seabirds over 2 seasons (2019 and 2021). We recorded 6 fish species, but the only species constituting >1% of the lumpfish landings was the spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor. The bycatch of fish likely had little impact on the involved fish stocks. We recorded 4 seabird species, of which common eider Somateria mollissima was most common. When extrapolated to the entire West Greenland lumpfish fishery, the estimated bycatch of common eider was considerably higher in 2019 (19938; 95% CI: 3486-59661) than in 2021 (9802: 1260-29940) due to a longer fishing season in 2019. On average, for 2019 and 2021, the bycatch was modelled to reduce the growth potential for the West Greenland winter population by 51%. In comparison, the current hunting level (16538 birds yr-1) reduced the growth potential by 30%. The larger impact of bycatch was mainly due to a larger proportion of adults and females being targeted. The common eider bycatch impacts mainly the breeding population in Canada and Southwest Greenland and less so in Northwest Greenland. As mitigation, we recommend temporal closures of the fishery unless modified gillnets, which markedly reduce bycatch, become available.

Social and Economic Outcomes of Fisheries Certification: Characterizing Pathways of Change in Canned Fish Markets

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-labeling program provides fisheries a pathway to demonstrate their sustainability by undergoing an environmental certification. Like other standard-setters, the MSC’s ‘theory of change’ presumes that markets use this information to select for sustainable products, providing an incentive for producers to improve their practices and become certified. However, the underlying mechanisms which actually work to link market behavior and participation in the program in different contexts have not been systematically identified. We draw on broad MSC field experience to identify processes that have supported the theory of change in individual fisheries. Then, we develop a broadly applicable rapid assessment protocol, relying on a semi-structured interviews of key informants, to gather systematic evidence for key dynamics within the theory of change: the effects of going through MSC certification on market processes, partnerships in the fishery, and governance. In a pilot test of the protocol, we identify important common and idiosyncratic processes in three canned product fisheries: United States west coast albacore tuna, Brittany sardines, and Portuguese sardines. We find that the harvesters and buyers/processors in these fisheries sought certification primarily to expand or maintain their market share, and that certification was synergistic with stakeholder cooperation. The cases demonstrate how our rapid assessment interviews allow program participants to relate their experience in their own words yet facilitate systematic comparison to identify common mechanisms within the theory of change. We propose its wider application to systematically advance our understanding of social and economic processes that drive of eco-label interventions in different geographies and supply chains around the world.

A History of the Tuna-Dolphin Problem: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned

Multispecies aggregations of tuna, dolphins, and seabirds are prevalent and conspicuous in the vast waters of the eastern tropical Pacific and form the basis of a commercial fishery for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) through setting on schools of dolphins, which is among the largest tuna fisheries in the world. Incidental dolphin mortality associated with the development and early years of the fishery was high; by 1993 it was estimated that eastern spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris orientalis) had been reduced to 44% and northeastern offshore spotted dolphins (S. attenuata attenuata) to 19% of pre-fishery levels. Efforts to reduce this mortality began at the inception of the fishery and comprised a diverse array of approaches: modifications to fishing methods and fishing gear (backdown, Medina panel, high-intensity floodlights, swimmers to disentangle and release dolphins); U.S. legislation (through the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, MMPA, and subsequent amendments); international agreements (including the International Dolphin Conservation Program that established dolphin mortality limits, and the legally binding multilateral Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program); and economic incentives [notably through establishment of the U.S. dolphin-safe label and positive certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)]. Together, these bycatch mitigation efforts have been remarkably successful; dolphin mortality due to entanglement as recorded by fisheries observers (hereafter, entanglement mortality) has been reduced by > 99%. Despite this, the degree to which dolphin populations have recovered remains unclear. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that individual dolphins experience multiple sets in their lifetimes and although causality has not been established, research suggests that chase and encirclement might have impacts on dolphins in addition to entanglement mortality. These impacts potentially include increased fetal and/or calf mortality, separation of nursing females and their calves, decreased fecundity, increased predation, disruption of mating and other social systems, and ecological disruption. The strong management emphasis on monitoring entanglement mortality, and the infrastructure necessary to support this monitoring (in particular, 100% observer coverage on large purse-seiners) require funding to the extent that other activities, particularly continued surveys to monitor stock status and clarify the potential influence of other effects of the fishery on dolphin populations, are currently inadequately funded.

Octopus djinda (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae): a new member of the Octopus vulgaris group from southwest Australia.

A new Octopus Cuvier, 1797 species, Octopus djinda Amor, 2021 (previously treated as O. cf. tetricus and O. aff. tetricus), is described from the shallow waters off southwest Australia. This species was classified as conspecific with O. tetricus Gould, 1852 from Australias east coast and New Zealand but is shown here to be morphologically and genetically distinct. This description is based on 25 individuals across three localities in southwest Australia, encompassing most of its distribution. Greater and non-overlapping sucker counts on the males hectocotylised arm delimit east and west coast forms. DNA barcoding using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I also successfully differentiates between these taxa; 13 polymorphisms along a 349 bp partial fragment (3.7% sequence divergence). A close relative of the O. vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 species-group, O. djinda, sp. nov. supports a highly productive fishery and is currently one of two octopod fisheries worldwide to have received sustainable certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. The taxonomic description presented here provides formal recognition of the taxonomic status of southwest Australias common octopus, O. djinda, sp. nov. and facilitates appropriate fisheries catch reporting and management.

Increasing the effectiveness of ecological food signaling: Comparing sustainability tags with eco-labels

The effectiveness of eco-labels has dominated research on food signaling. Building on signaling theory, we investigate the impact of sustainability tags–unverified sustainability claims–compared to eco-labels–actual awarded eco-certificates–on consumer choice and the willingness to pay (WTP). We add to the underdeveloped “non eco-labels” literature on sustainability signaling by documenting that a green sustainability tag has a higher importance score and utility than an eco-label. The tag leads to larger “green segments” valuing sustainability as the most important attribute when buying fish. Furthermore, consumers are willing to pay 23.1% more for fillets with sustainability tags. This is significantly higher than the additional value ascribed to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-labelled fillets. The majority of consumers surveyed were unfamiliar with frequently used seafood eco-labels (Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)/MSC). Thus, the increase in WTP is mediated by perceived familiarity, wherein tags are rated higher in familiarity compared to eco-labels.

Can the Japanese fisheries qualify for MSC certification?

Among various ecolabeling schemes, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the largest certifier of seafood ecolabel for the wild caught fish in the world. An increasing number of fisheries in the world have applied for MSC certification. However, Japanese pre-assessed fisheries, one of the largest seafood producers, have not been keen on applying for the MSC certification. In this paper, we examine whether Japanese pre-assessed fisheries can qualify for MSC certification by using MSC pre-assessment scores of 53 fisheries in Japan. To understand these Japanese pre-assessed fisheries’ place in the world, we compared scores of these fisheries with those of the MSC certified fisheries. By using descriptive statistics, and cluster analyses, we found that most of the Japanese pre-assessed fisheries do not meet the MSC standards. Among other things, The Japanese pre-assessed fisheries targeting at total allowable catch (TAC) species are relatively well managed in terms of stock rebuilding, harvest strategy, and harvest control rules compared with other stock assessed, or non-assessed fish species. A cluster analysis sorted the Japanese pre-assessed fisheries with a good stock status into the similar clusters to the MSC fisheries. Difference in scores between the Japanese and MSC fisheries is ecological performance including approach for bycatch and endangered species. We found that the Japanese fisheries have a possibility to be strong candidates by adopting bycatch strategies.

A future for seafood point-of-origin testing using DNA and stable isotope signatures

Demand for seafood products is increasing worldwide, contributing to ever more complex supply chains and posing challenges to trace their origin and guarantee legal, well-managed, sustainable sources from confirmed locations. While DNA-based methods have proven to be reliable in verifying seafood authenticity at the species level, the verification of geographic origin remains inherently more complex. Both genetic and stable isotope analyses have been employed for determining point-of-origin with varying degrees of success, highlighting that their application can be effective when the right tool is selected for a given application. Developing an a priori prediction of their discrimination power for different applications can help avoid the financial cost of developing inappropriate reference datasets. Here, we reviewed the application of both techniques to seafood point-of-origin for 63 commercial finfish species certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, and showed that, even for those species where baseline data exist, real applications are scarce. To fill these gaps, we synthesised current knowledge on biological and biogeochemical mechanisms that underpin spatial variations in genetic and isotopic signatures. We describe which species’ biological and distribution traits are most helpful in predicting effectiveness of each tool. Building on this, we applied a mechanistic approach to predicting the potential for successful validation of origin to three case study fisheries, using combined genetic and isotopic methodologies to distinguish individuals from certified versus non-certified regions. Beyond ecolabelling applications, the framework we describe could be reproduced by governments and industries to select the most cost-effective techniques.Graphic abstract

Deep-sea benthic habitats and the impacts of trawling on them in the offshore Greenland halibut fishery, Davis Strait, west Greenland

Abstract The offshore Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fishery, west Greenland, employs demersal trawl gear at depths of 800–1400 m. In contrast to many deep-sea fisheries, the target stock appears stable and the fishery is of significant economic importance. Recent Marine Stewardship Council certification of this fishery highlighted the paucity of knowledge of benthic habitats and trawling impacts, which this study aimed to address using a towed benthic video sled. The spatially discrete northern and southern areas of the fishery were found to be distinct in terms of the communities present, which non-metric multidimensional scaling suggests is primarily driven by temperature. Extensive physical evidence of trawling was observed. Trawling effort was significantly linked with community composition, with a negative association between trawling effort and abundance of some taxa, including some vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) indicator species. Three potential VMEs are identified: (i) Flabellum alabastrum cup coral meadows; (ii) a Halipteris finmarchica sea pen field; and (iii) areas exhibiting mixed assemblages of VME indicators. Of immediate conservation concern is a H. finmarchica field, which seems to be at least regionally rare, is situated within the fringes of existing trawling effort and is currently afforded no protection by management measures.

When ‘sustainability’ becomes the norm: Power dynamics in the making of a new eco-label for low-environmental-impact, small-scale fisheries

In 2020, the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food launched a new state-led ecolabelling scheme for fish originating from small-scale, ‘low-environmental-impact’ fisheries; “NaturSkånsom”. The label was introduced to a domestic market where the vast majority of the fish landed by Danish vessels was already certified by the global leader in certification of (wild caught) fish products, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC’s high market penetration created a situation where especially small-scale fishers felt that MSC certification had developed into a market norm without providing fishers the benefits of demonstrating extraordinarily sustainable practices and thereby gain competitive advantages. Rather, MSC’s market penetration was perceived as undermining efforts to brand and market fish originating from small-scale fisheries as particularly sustainable. This article explores the processes that led up to the NaturSkånsom labeling scheme by applying a ‘power in planning and policy framework’ as an analytical lens. Through the NaturSkånsom process, the article investigates what happens when an ecolabel becomes a market norm, how small-scale fisheries actors who feel disadvantaged by such a development and environmental organizations form alliances, mobilize support and multiple resources to strengthen their positions in the political settings. The examination of this case highlights how stakeholders traditionally thought of as less resourceful can gain political influence. The article offers a glimpse into a possible, emerging future where those perceiving themselves as the most sustainable producers may increasingly view large and dominating ecolabels simultaneously as obstacles and forces for positive change.

The Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring Protocol

Since 2001, trained snorkelers, freedivers, and scuba diver volunteers (collectively called EcoDivers) have been recording data on the distribution, abundance, and bathymetric range of 43 selected key marine species along the Mediterranean Sea coasts using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The taxa, including algae, invertebrates, and fishes, were selected by a combination of criteria, including ease of identification and being a key indicator of shifts in the Mediterranean subtidal habitats due to local pressures and climate change. The dataset collected using the RCMed U-CEM protocol is openly accessible across different platforms and allows for various uses. It has proven to be useful for several purposes, such as monitoring the ecological status of Mediterranean coastal environments, assessing the effects of human impacts and management interventions, as well as complementing scientific papers on species distribution and abundance, distribution modeling, and historical series. Also, the commitment of volunteers promotes marine stewardship and environmental awareness in marine conservation. Here, we describe the RCMed U-CEM protocol from training volunteers to recording, delivering, and sharing data, including the quality assurance and control (QA/QC) procedures.

A Perspective on the Role of Eco-Certification in Eliminating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities threaten marine biodiversity, livelihoods, food security, and human rights across the globe. Often occurring in waters that are difficult to control, and across multi-sector, transboundary, value chains that are hard to regulate, such a complex and heterogeneous problem requires multiple strategies beyond sovereign nations’ legislation alone. Here we explore the mechanisms through which eco-certification, by fostering private-public and cross-jurisdiction cooperation, can incentivize fishers to adopt best practices in harvesting and ecosystem impacts mitigation, increase the transparency of fishery operations and accountability to suppliers. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sets globally recognized standards for fisheries sustainability and supply chain assurance, based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Building on the MSC experience of over 400 certified fisheries representing 18% of global wild marine catch, we analyze examples and available information on the changes achieved by the seafood industry through engagement with the program, with particular focus on the elimination or reduction of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing practices. We propose here that different, interlinked mechanisms come into play: the Standards provide best practice guidelines for improved catch documentation, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), and strengthening regulations. These lead to change either through (1) direct improvements required for fisheries to achieve the certificate (e.g., in Fishery Improvement Projects) or, (2) once certified, to maintain the certificate, or (3) as an emergent effect of the engagement process itself, requiring stakeholder cooperation and transparent information-sharing leading to a greater culture of compliance, and (4), as an effect of strengthening chain of custody documentation and standardizing it across jurisdictions. We also discuss limitations, such as the capacity for fisheries in low-income regions to embark on the management and social reform required, and evolving challenges in seafood sustainability, such as ethical concerns for forced and child labor and shark finning. While not the single silver bullet against such a complex problem, we argue that certification is an important tool in addressing IUU fishing.

Fisheries Eco-Labelling in India – Marine Stewardship Council Clarifications

Fisheries Eco-Labelling in India – Marine Stewardship Council Clarifications

FathomNet: An Open, Underwater Image Repository for Automated Detection and Classification of Midwater and Benthic Objects

Abstract Ocean-going platforms and instruments are integrating cameras for observation and navigation, producing a deluge of visual data. The volume of this data collection can rapidly outpace researchers' abilities to process and analyze them. Recent advances in artificial intelligence enable fast, sophisticated analysis of visual data, but have had limited success in the oceanographic world due to lack of dataset standardization, sparse annotation tools, and insufficient formatting and aggregation of existing, expertly curated imagery for use by data scientists. To address this need, we are building FathomNet, a public platform that makes use of existing (and future), expertly curated data to know what is in the ocean and where it is for effective and responsible marine stewardship. This platform is modeled after popular terrestrial datasets (e.g., ImageNet, COCO) that enabled rapid advances in automated visual analysis. FathomNet seeks to engage a wide audience, from the general public to subject-matter experts, to further augment, contribute to, and utilize the training data set. FathomNet will accelerate development of novel algorithms to automate the analysis of underwater visual data, thereby enabling scientists, explorers, policymakers, storytellers, and the public, to learn, understand, and care more about our ocean and its inhabitants.

Using Stated Preference Valuation to Support Sustainable Marine Fishery Management

This study uses a random parameters logit (RPL) model to estimate the Taiwanese preference for northern shrimp (NS) products (NSP) with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label. The estimated results show that, ceteris paribus, the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) of Taiwanese consumers for NSP with the MSC label is up to New Taiwan dollar (NTD) 84.86 in comparison to products without the label. Moreover, the price of MSC-labeled NSP has a positive effect on the quantity demanded by Taiwanese consumers. They also prefer products in smaller packages and with shorter certification periods. The positive effect can be explained by the Veblen effect or the fact that sometimes prices are perceived as signals of product quality. However, the effects of preference for smaller packages and shorter certification periods are minimal compared with the effects of preference for MSC-labeled products. When consumers are unfamiliar with products or labels, a high price is a viable marketing strategy. However, the advantage cannot sustain the promotion of products and labels.