MSC News

MSC certification is given to fisheries and companies that meet the standards set by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC fisheries certification is a certification for sustainable fisheries that are properly managed with consideration for marine resources and the environment. It targets natural marine and freshwater organisms (fish, shellfish, crustaceans, etc.). There are 441 MSC certified fisheries in the world and 12 in Japan (as of July 2021, 7).

Seafood caught in MSC certified fisheries can be labeled with the MSC "marine ecolabel" shown below.

MSC-labelled products are sold in approximately 100 countries around the world, and in Japan there are over 900 products registered, making it a globally popular marine eco-label.

The MSC Fisheries Standard has three principles:

Principle 1: Resource sustainability
Do not overfish or deplete resources, and fish in a way that allows for demonstrable recovery of depleted resources.
Principle 2: Ecosystem impacts of fishing
Fishing should be conducted in a manner that maintains the structure, diversity, productivity, etc. of the ecosystem on which it depends.
Principle 3: Fisheries management systems
Having a management system that respects local, national and international rules in order to satisfy principles 1 and 2. Also having a system and structure for sustainable resource use.
(MSC websiteQuoted from)

The standard meets the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines for seafood certification and eco-labelling schemes and assesses the credibility of seafood eco-labels.GSSI (Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative)It has also been approved.

The standard includes 28 performance indicators based on which an independent assessment body assesses and certifies.

In order to distribute seafood caught in certified fisheries, companies involved in processing and distribution must obtain CoC certification. This is a mechanism to prevent certified seafood from being mixed with non-certified seafood and ensure traceability. CoC certification has the following five principles. (*For the group version of CoC certification, principle 5 "Additional requirements for group CoC" also applies.)

Principle 1
Certified products must be purchased from certified suppliers
Principle 2
Certified products must be identifiable
Principle 3
Certified products must be segregated
Principle 4
Certified products must be traceable and quantities must be recorded
Principle 5
The management system of the business operator must comply with the requirements of this standard.
(MSC websiteQuoted from)

CoC certification is also audited by a third party.Chain of Custody CertificationThe standard also includes requirements to ensure that there is no involvement in forced labor and child labor, which have been receiving increasing attention in recent years*1.

According to a survey conducted by the MSC in 2020, awareness of the MSC certification label in Japan is 19%. Although this is lower than the global average of 46%, awareness is showing rapid progress, up 2018 points from the previous survey (7)*2. In addition, as of January 2021, more than 1 companies have obtained CoC certification, making Japan the fifth country in the world with the number of certified companies, and the country is actively leading the spread of sustainable seafood*300.

※ 1 New measures introduced in CoC certification to eradicate forced and child labor in the seafood industry (March 2019)

※ 2 MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) Press Release: Awareness of MSC's "Marine Ecolabel", proof of sustainable seafood, increases to 19% in Japan (November 2020)

※ 3 MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) Press Release: The number of MSC CoC certified businesses handling MSC-certified seafood in Japan has exceeded 300 (January 2021)