May 8, 2018 — Results of a new poll commissioned by the Make Stewardship Count coalition, released at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium, on 25 April, have given the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) cause for concern.

The MSC is already the subject of increasing scrutiny by marine conservation, species, and industry experts who are concerned about the credibility of seafood certifications in the marketplace, but this study shows that consumers are now expressing their own fears about the rigor of its standards, according to Make Stewardship Count, a coalition of more than 60 environmental organizations and individual advocates.

Carried out in April 2018 with a sample of 5,574 consumers in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, the poll showed that the MSC could face significant loss of confidence from seafood buyers due to the way in which the certification body is handling critical issues.

The survey found that 78 percent of respondents would either stop buying MSC products or buy fewer products if they found that some MSC fisheries involve eco-unfriendly practices, as has been suggested by WWF and other organizations. Of particular concern to consumers were the bycatch of endangered and threatened species, the deliberate encirclement of dolphins, shark-finning, and habitat destruction.

Read the full story at Seafood Source