Fish and the MSC
Fish and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
The MSC – who are they?
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international organisation, which addresses the problems of unsustainable fishing and aims to protect seafood supplies for the future.
What do they do?
The MSC allows fisheries to show that they are well managed and that they fish in a sustainable way. MSC certified sustainable fisheries ensure that fish are caught at levels that allow fish populations and ecosystems to remain healthy and productive. The MSC’s traceability standard, chain of custody ensures that fish can be tracked back from ocean to plate.
The MSC uses its blue ecolabel label (above) to identify seafood that has come from sustainable fisheries certified to its standard. The MSC’s mission is to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis by recognising and rewarding sustainable fisheries and influencing people’s choices when buying seafood.
Why is MSC so necessary?
In the early 1990s, the impact of overfishing on seafood supplies and ecosystems was becoming an increasing concern across the world. Overfishing (i.e. catching more fish than the population can replace) has serious consequences; affecting the balance of life in the oceans but also impact on coastal communities. Some marine populations have declined so much that their survival as a species is severely threatened.
What can we do?
We need to be more aware of what sustainable fishing is and what to look for when buying fish or other seafood products. For now, the distinctive blue ecolabel is an easy way to choose wild, sustainable seafood that we can trust. Look for the label in supermarkets but also when eating out!
Chartwells has achieved MSC accredited status across their Lewisham school menus. This means Hoki fillets, Salmon fish fingers/fishcakes and breaded Pollack served in Primary schools across the Lewisham local authority contract are all MSC certified sustainable!
If you have any further questions on sustainable fish please see the below link!
By Nutritionist Karis Betts MSc BSc
