Nearly all of the world’s fish-stocks are over-exploited. A staggering 97% of stocks are being fished either fully or moderately to their maximum biological capacity, with a small percentage in recovery from over-fishing. Just 3% are underexploited.These stark figures are listed under ‘Fish Facts’ on the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) website, and further statistics show that despite this bleak analysis, human consumption of fish has been steadily increasing.

It is difficult to imagine how a comparatively small, non-profit making and non-campaigning charity like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) could have any lasting impact on such a dire global predicament. Nevertheless the charity is making huge waves in helping to reverse the current problem of over-fishing through successfully encouraging many of the world’s fisheries to join them, as James Simpson, Communications Officer for the MSC explains. ‘As a relatively small international charity we don’t have the resources for big TV advertising campaigns but MSC is punching well above its weight and last year has seen a huge increase in interest in both sustainable seafood and the MSC eco-label.’

Originally set up 11 years ago by Unilever – the world’s largest seafood buyer – and the WWF, the MSC became fully independent in 1999 and now operates through a global network of offices from London and Edinburgh to the USA and Japan.

The charity took two years to devise a rigorous assessment programme, consulting with the world’s leading experts, which would be suitable for all fisheries whether large or small. Assessments are made by independent certifiers and based on three main principles; the condition of fish stocks, the impact of the fishery on the marine environment and effective management. Certified fisheries display an MSC eco-label on the product - a blue box with a white oval, fish-shaped tick. ‘The MSC label means that the fish product bearing the label can be traced back to the independently-certified fishery that caught it.’

There has been a huge growth in the number of fisheries taking part in the project. In February 2007 the charity celebrated their 500th product worldwide and just nine months later the figure had reached 1000. ‘The number of fisheries being assessed is growing every week. Currently, just under 7,000 tonnes of UK fisheries are certified but over 225,000 tonnes are in assessment. Worldwide, nearly 60 fisheries are currently being assessed.’

The MSC website includes an impressive and varied list of certified produce including Wild Alaskan Salmon, Pollock, Hoki, Burry inlet Cockles, South West Mackerel and Thames Herring which are now widely available in many outlets and supermarkets under the MSC eco-label. James Simpson says that consumers are becoming more responsive to try alternatives to the regular staples of Cod and Haddock. ‘If you choose, for example MSC Pollock instead of Cod, Pollock is considerably cheaper than Cod but still makes great fish and chips and works brilliantly in anything involving a sauce as it holds together well while cooking.’

London’s Tower Hamlets are also involved, providing MSC sourced fish on the menu for children in 78 primary schools as part of an on-going project called ‘Fish and Kids’. 'Fish and Kids is a schools outreach project that aims to get sustainable fish onto the menu of our schools. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets pioneered the project (following a successful pilot in Surrey) and the project has now reached over 1,000 schools and around 250,000 kids.'

Despite gloomy statistics that tell of the real damage from decades of over-fishing, the MSC continues to make a real difference to dwindling sea-stocks and delicate marine eco-systems, with growing support from the world’s fisheries, suppliers and consumers alike. ‘The future looks bright for sustainable fisheries .It has never been easier to make the best environmental choice in seafood.'

For further information:
MSC : Marine Stewardship Council,
YouTube - Choose sustainable seafood! Look for the blue MSC eco-label