October 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:
The Marine Stewardship Council – an environmental not-for-profit which sets a global standard for sustainable fishing – says there has been encouraging progress in the shift towards sustainably produced seafood, but that momentum has to increase to meet the scale of the challenges facing the oceans.
New figures released by the MSC show that in 2019-2020, fisheries representing more than 17% of the world’s wild marine catch were engaged with its programme,1 whilst the numbers of businesses involved in producing, processing and sourcing MSC-certified seafood continues to rise sharply.2,3
The organisation’s annual report,4 Celebrating and Supporting Sustainable Fisheries, also details that:
- Catch from fisheries engaged in the programme has reached 14.7 million tonnes, up from 12.2 million tonnes in the previous year.
- Consumer choice has increased, with double the number of MSC-labelled product lines (18,735) compared to five years ago.
- Retail sales of MSC-labelled products has passed $10 billion for the first time, highlighting growing consumer demand for sustainable products.
However, there is also growing recognition of the importance of sustainable fishing in protecting our oceans. In June this year the Food and Agriculture Organisation reported that sustainable fisheries are more productive and resilient to change,6 while a UN report in September found that sustainable fishing protected ocean biodiversity.7
There are 409 fisheries in the MSC’s programme with an increasing presence in the developing world. The proportion of catch from fisheries engaged with the MSC programme which came from the Global South rose by nearly a quarter compared to the previous year, to 13%.
Marine Stewardship Council CEO, Rupert Howes, said:
“We are in the middle of a global pandemic which continues to inflict enormous human suffering and grave economic damage. However, the crisis also presents an opportunity to shift our economies to a more sustainable and more equitable footing. Ensuring thriving oceans for future generations is an essential component of this.
“For more than 20 years the MSC has connected fishers, business and consumers who care about the future of our oceans. We cannot afford to slip back – we must increase our efforts to engage more fisheries, reach new markets and drive further improvements through the leadership of our partners whose success we celebrate. Let us use this opportunity to redouble efforts to conserve our oceans for future generations.”