New and improved MSC Guidelines

Back in October, we told you about the release of the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) improved fisheries certification requirements. After two years of intense public consultation and additional research, the new standard now provides better protection for vulnerable marine ecosystems, the reduction of cumulative impacts on bycatch species, as well as improvements in some social aspects of fisheries.

On April 1, this new MSC Standard comes into effect for all new fisheries entering assessment. WWF supports and promotes the new standard and, as the MSC works towards harmonizing previous assessments and conducting the first assessments under the new standard, we will also continue to monitor and engage where needed, in an effort to constantly improve fisheries and reduce their impacts.

On a related note, a joint project between WWF and navama – technology for nature, aims to reduce Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing. By registering on transparentsea.org, fisheries make a public commitment to becoming fully transparent, leading to added value and better access to some markets.
The sustainable fishing sphere is ever changing and improving; stay tuned to hear how these initiatives are making a change on the water.