The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation set up to tackle the problem of unsustainable fishing and secure the supply of seafood for the future.

The organisation’s vision is to ensure that the oceans are and will be teeming with life today, tomorrow and for generations to come. A sustainable seafood market is vital to make this vision a reality.

The MSC ecolabel is visible on the product packaging.  The MSC CoC is a traceability standard that applies throughout the entire fish supply chain (from sea to shelf). Every company involved in the supply chain should be certified in compliance with this standard assuring consumers that seafood comes from certified sustainable fishing points.

Fishing units wishing to prove that they are being well managed and sustainable according to MSC standards are assessed by a group of Compliance Assessment Bodies (CABs).

The MSC Fisheries Standard is based on the UN FAO guidelines for eco-labelling and is revised every five years minimum in accordance with the ISEAL Standard-setting Code of Good Practice.

• Sustainable fish stocks.

Are there enough fish left in the ocean? Fishing must be occurring at a level that ensures its indefinite continuity and that the fish population can remain productive and healthy.

• Minimising environmental impact.

What are the implications? Fishing operations must be carefully managed to ensure that other species and habitats within the ecosystem remain healthy.

• Effective management

Certified fleets abide by legislation and are in position to adapt to changes in environmental conditions (e.g. reduction of the target fish stock).

Companies, retailers, chefs and consumers are ever more opting for sustainable sources for their products. When a fleet has been successfully certified by the MSC Fisheries Standard, its certified catch can be sold under the MSC Blue Label, providing thus a powerful communication tool and a comparative advantage to fleets that opt for becoming certified.

Sustainability for Greek fisheries

The HellasFish programme supports Greek fisheries on their path to sustainability.

Greece has the largest fishing fleet in the European Union with over 14,000 vessels. Fishing has always been an integral part of the Greek tradition and is still very important for the country until this day. The path of Greek fisheries towards sustainability will bring benefits both to coastal and island communities and to the biodiversity of the Greek seas. The MSC’s HellasFish Project provides the framework and platform to bring stakeholders together and enable Greek fishermen to build more sustainable practices.  

Founded in 2010, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organisation with global influence. The ASC’s vision is to make aquaculture environmentally sustainable and socially responsible by using effective market mechanisms that create value throughout the chain.

The ASC CoC is a traceability standard that applies to the entire fish supply chain (from aquaculture to shelf). Every company involved in the supply chain should be certified in compliance with this standard, assuring consumers that seafood comes from certified sustainable aquaculture sites.

Aquaculture produces more than half of the seafood consumed worldwide and will be vital for providing healthy, affordable protein to the world’s rapidly growing population in the future. But, like all food production, it comes with consequences and must be done responsibly.

ASC develops and manages the most stringent standards in the industry. These standards include hundreds of requirements covering the potential impacts of aquaculture – including water quality, responsible feed sourcing, disease prevention, animal welfare, fair treatment and compensation of employees, and maintaining positive relationships with neighbouring communities.