March 25, 2020 — Fishing vessels certified by the Marine Stewardship Council will no longer be able to target a stock using non-certified fishing practices, beginning in 2023.
The MSC had been criticized for allowing “compartmentalization,” the practice of fishing vessels using certified and non-certified fishing methods while utilizing the same gear type. MSC-certified purse-seine tuna fisheries that employ certified “free-school” fishing methods and non-certified harvesting using fish aggregating devices or FADs had come under particular scrutiny, particularly from the “On the Hook” advocacy campaign. In response, last month, the MSC said it would address those concerns.