Sustainable seafood labelling: An Analysis of the Marine Stewardship Council. Graduate

The crisis of over fishing and the resulting collapse of global fish stocks can be partially attributed to failures in state driven policy development and implementation. Public response to growing awareness of rapidly diminishing fisheries i resources has led to the development of a consumer directed approach to sustainable fisheries management in order to overcome shortcomings of the state and the tragedy of the commons. Many consumers, when educated about the source of a seafood product, will make purchases based on confidence that the seafood is safe to eat and comes from a sustainable source. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) promotes and responds to consumer awareness by supporting sustainable and responsible fishing practices through certifying fishermen and seafood companies. MSC certification is based on established principles and criteria related to science and catch methods for sustainable fisheries. MSC certified products have the right to use the MSC blue label. To demonstrate causes for consumer interest and confidence in the MSC label this report first provides a brief background on the seafood industry and the sustainable seafood movement before investigating MSC’s organizational structure, certification process, and monitoring and evaluation tools. Relevant case studies will be applied in support of credibility arguments. However, shortfalls of the organization and certification process will also be addressed such as liberal allowances of corrective action requests, the lack of developing world fisheries involvement, and the failure to adequately incorporate restaurant markets