Celebrating Sustainable
Seafood
The Marine Stewardship Council
Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

Contents

As a passionate environmentalist and chef, there’s nothing more
important than choosing ingredients that make a positive impact
on the environment and taste good. I’m delighted to partner with
the MSC on its important work to stop overfishing and support
certified sustainable fisheries that serve hardworking,rural communities.
James Strawbridge, chef, MSC ambassador

Cover image: James Strawbridge, chef, MSC ambassador © David Loftus/MSC
Contents image: Indian Ocean © iStock

Messages from our Chief Executive and Chair

2

A year of achievement

4Blue foods in focus

6

Setting a course for 2030

7

The revised MSC Fisheries Standard

8

Progress on the water

10

Delivering impact

12

Anchored in science14

Supporting transformation in global fisheries

16

Scaling impact: MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund

18

Corporate partnerships

20

Sustainable seafood sales

22

Consumer awareness24

Species focus

26

Our funding and donors

40

Governance 2022-23

42

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Messages from our Chief Executive and Chair

Reflections on alandmark year
A message from our CEO

A message from our Chair

Last year was a big year for the ocean, with governments
reaching landmark agreements to protect biodiversity and thehigh seas. The seafood sector will have an important role to playin meeting these commitments, just as it does in contributing
to the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and responding to climate change.

One way we are doing this is through our Ocean Stewardship
Fund. With both allocated and philanthropic funding, we haveawarded grants worth nearly £4 million to fisheries to make
improvements on their pathway to sustainability or close
down conditions of certification, and to fund research andinnovation projects.

Despite these multilateral efforts, we face multiple challenges,
including a retreat from globalisation, war in Ukraine, the threatof recession, and high and stubborn inflation taking hold inmajor economies around the world. The impact on the seafoodindustry and consumers has been profound. Against thisbackdrop, we must not lose the momentum that we have built inthe sustainable seafood movement.

The sudden death in May 2023 of Hart Schafer, just weeks
before he was to take over as MSC Chair, shocked us all. We areprofoundly saddened that we will not get to share our journeywith Hart. On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude to
our long-serving Chair, Werner Kiene, who has agreed to stay on
until a suitable replacement is found.

MSC’s Fisheries Standard lies at the heart of our program andthis year saw the culmination of a four-year consultation andreview process and the launch of Version 3.0. New requirements
have been introduced to strengthen the protection ofendangered, threatened and protected species, to reduce
ghost gear and improve international management of sharedfish stocks. An additional £1 million has been made available in
2023/24 for projects and research to facilitate the successfulroll-out and implementation of the revised Fisheries Standard.
We also launched our new strategic plan. The plan reaffirms ourgoal to engage over a third of wild-caught seafood in the MSC
program by 2030. To do this, we need to scale our work further,
especially in developing economies, and ensure we continue to
add value for certified fisheries and seafood businesses.

Ten years ofprogressThank you to everyone who has supported us this year. I know
your engagement and leadership is making a real difference
to the way our oceans are being fished. MSC will redouble ourefforts to add value to certified fisheries, to recognise andcelebrate them, and to work with you to continue to incentivise
improvements in the way our oceans are fished.

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive, Marine Stewardship Council

This was to be my last year as Chair of the MSC
Board of Trustees, but the tragic death of mysuccessor means I will stay on into 2024. The
MSC’s new Chair will, however, come to anorganisation ready to accelerate its impact.
Having reshaped its governance, the MSC is
now better placed to play a more strategic role
in responding to a range of global issues. In
the last year, we have managed some difficult
challenges, including the growing impacts ofclimate change on fisheries, and the war in
Ukraine and its effects on global cooperation.
We have also seen the fruits of our efforts
to inform fisheries policy, with significant
progress in regional fisheries management
bodies in the Pacific and a growing recognitionof the importance of sustainable fishing to
global food security.
During my 10 years as Chair, I have seen the
MSC become a more global organisation,broadening and deepening its impact. Our
understanding of sustainable fishing has
also expanded as science continues toreveal the complexities in our interconnectedmarine ecosystems. This is reflected in ourrevised Fisheries Standard – the product of atremendous cooperative effort between the
many stakeholders and technical experts who
contributed to its development.

Shoal of fish © iStock

As a Board, we have worked hard to create an
atmosphere in which this kind of cooperation
can thrive. As a multistakeholder organisation
dealing with complex issues, it is important
to be patient, listen, be open to change andfoster mutual understanding.
I am grateful to all those whose efforts
enable the MSC to contribute to the healthof the world’s oceans. In particular, I would
like to thank my colleagues on the Boardand the MSC’s management team, as wellas the members of our Stakeholder Advisory
Council and Technical Advisory Board for theirexpertise and commitment. It has been aprivilege to be part of the MSC’s journey overthe past decade, and I look forward to seeing
its impact continue to grow in the future.

Werner Kiene, Chair,
Marine Stewardship Council Boardof Trustees

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

A year of achievement© Neo Estudio4				
Europe
				
Spain
				
In a global first, the Spanish tuna association,
AGAC-OPAGAC, achieved certification in all
four tuna-fishing ocean regions in July 2022.
				In November 2022, Alcampo became the first				retailer to launch an own-brand skipjack
canned tuna product with the MSC blue label in the Spanish market.
Portugal
The UN Ocean Summit in June 2022 called for a “Blue Transformation”
to enable aquatic foods to make a greater contribution to food security.
Aldi launched the first own-brand canned tuna product with the
MSC label for the Portuguese market in November 2022, and achieved
MSC certification for all its hake products in December that year.

A year of achievement
Americas
US
In March 2023, UN member states
reached an agreement in New Yorkon the High Seas Treaty, the result of
20 years of talks.
Long-term dedicated partners
American Tuna, Oregon Trawl Commission and Pontchartrain
Blue Crab were recognised with 2022 MSC US Ocean
Champion Awards.
Two new fisheries achieved certification: US Atlantic scup
in May 2022 and Hawaii longline swordfish, bigeye andyellowfin in September 2022.

Main image: Processing hake, South Africa hake trawl © David Loftus/MSC
Inset image: Hands holding crabs © Bart van Olphen/MSC

CanadaAt the UN biodiversity conference in Montreal in December
2022, MSC certification was officially recognised as anindicator to measure countries’ progress towards two of thetargets in the new global biodiversity framework.
Chile
Sustainable management has paid off for Chile’s jack mackerel
fisheries, with major retailers and manufacturers in Europe
starting to source MSC certified jack mackerel.
Ecuador
In July 2022, the TUNACONS yellowfin tuna fishery in the
Eastern Pacific became the first tuna fishery in Ecuador toachieve MSC certification.

FranceIn February 2022, in collaboration with the Aquaculture StewardshipCouncil (ASC), MSC France ran its annual Responsible Fishing and
Aquaculture Week with 56 partners taking part.
In July 2022, the Réunion longline swordfish fishery achieved
certification for the first time.
Faroe Islands
Queen scallop joined the growing list of MSC certified seafood fromthe Faroe Islands in July 2022.

Asia
China

As of November 2022, all McDonald’s restaurants in
China had MSC chain of custody certification, bringing
the MSC ecolabel to the attention of millions ofconsumers across the country.
VietnamAt the annual meeting of the Western Central PacificFisheries Commission in December 2022 in Da Nang,
26 member states agreed crucial measures on harvest
strategies for tuna stocks.

Indonesia

In October 2022, MSC renewed its partnership with theIndonesian government’s Ministry of Marine Affairs
and Fisheries to support multiple fishery improvement
projects across Indonesia, the world’s second largest
seafood producer.

South Korea

In April 2022, E-mart, the largest retailer in Korea,
achieved chain of custody certification for all its
stores, and launched three private-brand pollock roe
products with the MSC ecolabel.

Germany
In September 2022, MSC Germany published a landmark fisheries
report to mark MSC’s 25th anniversary.
NorwayNorway’s Greenland halibut fishery achieved MSC certification in
January 2023, adding more than 14,000 tonnes of certified halibut tothe market.
Oceania

Australia

In June 2022, Rare Foods Australia achieved
MSC certification for its enhanced abalone
fishery, which includes 20km of purpose-built
reef off the coast of Western Australia.
Western Australia enhanced Abalone fishery © Rare Foods Australia

McDonalds © MSC

Read more about the MSC's
notable achievements here

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Blue foods
in focusContents

Setting a course for 2030

7

Setting a coursefor ����

Choosing the MSC blue label helps support theblue transformation.
With the global population expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050,
the pressure on food systems is increasing. But there’s growing
acceptance that scaling up the production of sustainable foodfrom oceans, rivers and lakes – known as “blue food” – canhelp feed a growing global population while reducing
environmental impacts.
Along with aquaculture and seaweed, wild-capture fisheries havea key role to play. On average, seafood has far greater nutritional
benefits than meat from land-based animals, and results in lower
carbon emissions. Wild fisheries produce 1-5kg of CO2 per kilo offish caught, compared with 50-750kg of CO2 per kilo of red meat.
Wild seafood also doesn’t require land or fresh water, fertilisersor pesticides.
With demand for seafood set to double by 2050, it’s vital thatany expansion of aquatic food production is sustainable. As amember of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition, launched at the UN
Ocean Conference in 2022, we’re committed to doing our part inenabling everyone to benefit from the potential of blue food whilesafeguarding life in the ocean.

There is now wide acceptance across governmentsthat aquatic foods will play a fundamental role infeeding a growing population while reducing
carbon emissions and pressure on land-basedsources of food – but only if they are produced ina sustainable way
Professor Manuel Barange, Director of Aquaculture and Fisheries
at the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO)

Read more MSC's briefing on blue foods here

Singapore salmon with vegetable ragout © David Loftus/MSC

An extra 16 million tonnes of wild seafood could be harvested
each year if global fisheries were better managed, meeting theprotein needs of an additional 72 million people, while alsosignificantly reducing iron and vitamin deficiencies.

Our new strategic plan setsout how we will work with ourpartners to meet the challengesof the coming decade.
The newly launched Integrated Strategic
Plan sets out our ambitions and priorities
between now and 2030, and how we plan
to work with our partners to make vital
progress on ending overfishing.
Our vision remains unchanged: we want to
see the world’s oceans teeming with life,and seafood supplies safeguarded forthis and future generations. Sustainablefisheries help to underpin healthy andproductive ocean ecosystems, as wellas supporting millions of livelihoods
globally. Our goal for 2030 is for over
one-third of global landings to comefrom MSC certified or engaged fisheries.
Our new strategy sharpens the focus
on the fisheries, species and markets
where our engagement will have thegreatest impact. We will help identify
new market opportunities for valued
partners, as well as supporting fisheries
to improve their sustainability practices.
Through the Ocean Stewardship Fund,
we will provide grants to fisheries

Sardine fishers from small pelagics fishery in Sonora, Gulf of California © MSC

making progress towards sustainability
and working to transition to our revised
Fisheries Standard as well as funding forimportant research that will generate newknowledge and understanding.
We are also increasing our efforts toengage with and build support amongst
stakeholders including governments,
environmental NGOs and scientists. And
we plan to deliver consumer campaigns toraise awareness and understanding of
the positive impact that the public canhave by supporting seafood with the
MSC ecolabel.

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

The revised MSC Fisheries Standard

What’s new?
Greater protection for endangered, threatened and protected species
The Standard introduces a new approach to reduce impacts on a wider range of endangered, threatened and protected species,
and help affected populations to recover.

Preventing shark finning
Shark finning is already forbidden in MSC certified fisheries, but to strengthen this further, all fisheries that retain sharks musthave a “fins naturally attached” policy in place, with no exceptions.

Tackling ghost gear

The revised
MSC Fisheries
Standard

Fisheries must have effective measures in place to minimise gear loss and mitigate the impact of any lost gear.

Strengthening harvest strategies
Fisheries managed by regional fisheries management organisations, including those targeting tuna, will need to develop
and implement effective stock-wide harvest strategies.

Improving evidence
New requirements will ensure that assessors use high-quality evidence to score fisheries, while our updated risk-based
framework will support assessment of data-limited fisheries.

Our revised Fisheries Standard
sets a new global benchmark forsustainable fishing.

Find out more about the MSC's revised
Fisheries Standard

The release of the revised Standard follows the most extensive
review of marine science and fisheries best practice that we’ve
ever undertaken, during which we reviewed more than 600
submissions from the fishing industry, supply chain companies,
fisheries, scientists and environmental NGOs.

fish stocks. At the same time, we have clarified language,refined existing tools, and developed new guidance to ensure
our Standard can be applied efficiently. To support fisheries andstakeholders in adapting to the changes, we are offering a fullprogram of training and guidance.

The revised Standard includes new requirements to strengthen
protection of endangered, threatened and protected species,
ensure impacts on habitats are assessed accurately andconsistently, and improve international management of shared

We are hugely grateful for the commitment, insights andexpertise of all those who have contributed to the revision of
the Standard.

Iceland capelin fishery © Hreinn Sigurdsson/MSC

The revised MSC Fisheries Standard provides
a global benchmark to drive forward real andlasting change in the way our oceans are
fished by recognising fisheries that are, andincentivising other fisheries to become,world leaders in sustainability.
Dr Rohan Currey, Chief Science and Standards Officer, MSC

Aerial view of boat © Anthony J Rayburn/MSC

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Progress on the water

Progress on the water

Where MSC certified fisheries operate

MSC continues to enjoy strong market momentum, with a healthy number offisheries engaged in the program.

Number of fisheries engaged
in the MSC program

19%

of all wild marine catch was
engaged with the MSC*

MSC certified
2022 - 23674

MSC certified
but suspended

In assessment

16%

2%

1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Approximate location of MSC certified fishing activity

MSC engaged catch remained above 15 million tonnes

2021 - 22636

202223

15,290,713

550
17
90
17

fisheries are certified

fisheries are suspended

15,480,228

202122more are in assessment

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Millions of tonnes*MSC certified, in assessment, suspended, and in-transition to MSC marine catch and fishery data as of 31 March 2023, compared with total marine catch for UN FAO Major Fishing Areas in 2021.

more are in-transition to MSC

The above map shows the percentage of catch from MSC certified fisheries per UN FAO Major Fishing Area.

66

Countries engaged
in the MSC program

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

12

Delivering impact
MSC certification drives improvements in fisheries management
and the marine environment.
To achieve and maintain MSC certification, a fishery must demonstrate that it meets
global best practice by scoring an average of 80 out of 100 against each of our threeprinciples: sustainability of the stock, ecosystem impacts and effective management.
Many fisheries will make significant improvements before they enter full assessment
against the MSC Standard. But becoming certified isn’t the end of the story: where
there is a condition of certification, fisheries will need to make specific improvements
within a set timeframe in order to stay in the program. Over the last 25 years, MSC
certified fisheries have made more than 2,000 improvements this way – with outcomes
ranging from reduced bycatch and impacts on threatened species, to stronger fisheries
regulations and new scientific knowledge.
The graph below shows the distribution of scores for all currently certified fisheries
that have completed at least two full assessments to the MSC Fisheries Standard.
100

2,225

improvements made by
MSC certified fisheries up to
31 March 2023
437 improvements overthe last three years,
consisting of:

166
117

Score

improvements benefitting fishery
management, governance and policy

80

85

80

Sustainable
stock

Environmental
impactEﬀectivemanagement

InitialFirst
assessment reassessment

InitialFirst
assessment reassessment

InitialFirst
assessment reassessment

Saving stingrays in the Mediterranean
The certification of the SATHOAN French Mediterranean bluefin tuna artisanal longline and handline fishery in 2020 was the resultof impressive efforts to rebuild bluefin tuna populations. Now, as a condition of certification, the fishery is taking steps to better
understand its impacts on bycatch species and pelagic stingrays, which are vulnerable because they grow and reproduce slowly.
A grant from the Ocean Stewardship Fund is supporting the fishery’s RAYVIVAL project, which is tagging 38 stingrays to monitor
their survival after release, and uncover more information about their ecology and biology.

Since it was first certified in 2012, the Argentine hoki bottom and mid-water trawl fishery has reduced the number of seabirds
accidentally killed in collisions with the cables that tow its nets. Now, with an Ocean Stewardship Fund grant, the fishery is working
with partners including the Aves Argentinas albatross task force to reduce seabird mortality further – focusing specifically on
preventing albatrosses and giant petrels from getting entangled with fishing wire. The project is working closely with fishers totest and evaluate ways of adapting their gear, and the results will be shared widely with similar fisheries.

Find out more about how MSC certified fisheries are improving

improvements benefitting endangered,threatened and protected species,and reducing bycatch

74

90

13

Minimising seabird bycatch

improvements benefitting stock
status and harvest strategies
95

Delivering impact

We have been working with acertified fishery since ����and the MSC certification has
allowed us to achieve a spiritof collaboration andunderstanding between the
different actors – which can bedifficult to achieve in otherfisheries. In terms of species
conservation, working in a
certified fishery means we cangather results more efficiently.
Mr Leandro L. Tamini, Marine Program
Coordinator, Aves Argentinas

improvements benefitting
ecosystems and habitats
Mitigating seabird interactions in Argentine hoki fishery© Leandro Tamini

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Anchored in science

15

Anchored in science
Our collaborations with scientists and research institutions
around the world are helping to unlock new insights, improve ourunderstanding of ocean ecosystems and strengthen sustainablefishing practices.

Tools for data-limited fisheriesSome sustainably managed fisheries may lack the dataneeded for conventional stock assessments. Data-limited
fisheries occur everywhere in the world, though smaller-scale
fisheries and those in low or middle income economies are
the most common.

More abundant fish stocks in certified fisheries
Fish stocks targeted by MSC certified fisheries perform better against key
sustainability criteria than those targeted by fisheries without certificationaccording to new MSC research published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiersin Marine Science. In the most comprehensive comparison to date, fish stocks
targeted by MSC certified fisheries were found to be more consistently fishedwithin sustainable limits and to have greater abundance relative to sustainable
harvest targets compared with stocks fished by non-MSC-certified fisheries. The
research covered a large range of species, including tuna, small pelagic fish andwhitefish, and geographic areas.

We’ve developed various tools and approaches to help
these data-limited fisheries towards meeting the certification
requirements. The latest innovation is the Method Evaluation
and Risk Assessment (MERA) app – a user-friendly simulation
tool that will help practitioners select the most effective
management strategies to take, even with limited data. The
open-source tool can be used to test more than 100 fishery
management procedures, identify the most robust approachgiven the available data and fishery characteristics, andprioritise data to collect that will improve performance inthe future.

Climate adaptation in fisheries management
Climate change is already having significant impacts on fish stocks andecosystems, posing new management challenges. Many fish populations
are moving towards the poles or to deeper waters, and may be expanding orcontracting. This can lead to fishery closures or stocks being overfished ifneighbouring countries that previously had sharing agreements no longer
recognise each other’s rights as fish stocks shift across jurisdictions.
To understand better how these issues will impact sustainable seafood and theability of fisheries to meet our sustainability benchmarks, the MSC is conducting
a global research project, “Assessment of Risks posed by Climate Change (ARC)”.

Climate change is already having significant impacts on fish stocks and ecosystems,
posing new management challenges.

To identify potential solutions at a regional level, we’re also working with research
partners in the US to investigate feasible policies to allocate quotas fairly andsustainably as stocks shift across state boundaries. The research focuses on
US Mid-Atlantic stocks, but may provide a replicable approach to adaptive
management for other fisheries experiencing rapid changes.

Learn more about the MSC’s research into the impacts of climate change onsustainable fishing

Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland © iStock16

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Supporting transformation in global fisheries

Supporting transformationin global fisheries
Enabling more fisheries in developing economies to improve theirenvironmental performance and adopt sustainable fishing management
practices will strengthen food security and enhance livelihoods.

CanadaProject UK
UK
MedfishFrance, Spain
EMBARCA
PortugalMexicoEast Asia Project
China, South Korea,
Japan

BlufishItaly
HellasFish
GreeceIndia

West African Projects
Mauritania, Senegal,
The Gambia

Find out more about
In-Transition to MSC

Indonesia
Benguela Pathway
Project
Namibia, Angola
South Africa

In-Transition to MSC
Our In-Transition to MSC pilot program supports fisheries that are committed toachieving certification against our Fisheries Standard. An independent auditor
regularly verifies the progress of fisheries taking part, enabling them to measure theirperformance and demonstrate the credibility of their commitment through tangible
and continuous improvement. As part of our new Integrated Strategic Plan, we are
exploring market-based incentives and other support mechanisms to make our
In-Transition to MSC program more effective and accessible.

To safeguard seafood supplies andconserve ocean ecosystems, ourgoal is for over a third of global
seafood catch to be engaged in
the MSC program by ����. Thismeans recognising and rewarding
sustainable fisheries andincentivising improvement
globally, not least in developing
economies where fishing is crucial
to food and livelihood security.
Ernesto Jardim, MSC Fisheries Standards Director

14

Fishing boats in Hout Bay, South Africa © Jaco Barendse/MSC

Ending overfishing and maintaining ocean ecosystems is a global challenge – but
it’s especially urgent in developing economies. Millions of people depend on fishingfor their livelihoods and food security, with small-scale fisheries, predominantly indeveloping countries, supplying around 40% of the global catch and more than 90%
of jobs in the sector. With fish stocks coming under ever greater pressure, it’s vitalthat people have the tools to manage them sustainably and are rewarded for doing so.

Pathway
Projects

17

fisheries In-Transition
to MSC19

countries involved
in Pathway Projects

56

fisheries implementing
action plans

Pathway Projects
Pathway Projects bring together multiple partners – including governments, fishers, seafood businesses, retailers, NGOs anddonors – to create the enabling conditions to support fisheries on their sustainability journey. We offer tools, training and aframework to guide fisheries to improve their performance against the principles of the MSC Fisheries Standard, as well as
increasing access to funding for this work. We’re currently involved in running 14 Pathway Projects in 19 countries, from the UK
to the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, involving a wide range of species and gear types.

Find out more about Pathway
to Sustainability

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Scaling impact:
MSC’s Ocean
Stewardship FundWe aim to mobilise US$100 million over the next 10 years to support
sustainable fishing.
More than 100 grants worth almost US$5 million have been awarded from our Ocean
Stewardship Fund over the last four years. These funds support a wide range of fisheries
and invest in research and innovation to improve fishing practices on the water.

In the last four years

100+

grants were awarded
worth almost

US$5
million26

The latest round of funding delivered 26 grants worth US$934,430 to fisheries, NGOs,
researchers and other partners in 15 countries. Some 40% of the grants were awarded
to fisheries in emerging economies, including South Africa and Mexico.

grants in the latest
round of funding

Since 2018, we’ve allocated 5% of the annual royalties generated from the sale of
MSC certified and labelled products to the Ocean Stewardship Fund. In addition,
since seeking to expand the Fund through third-party donations in collaboration withenvironmental investment advisers Clarmondial, we’ve received nearly US$3 million in
additional funds from the MAVA Foundation and Hans Wilsford Foundation, as well asfrom the Walton Family Foundation for a loan guarantee facility.

US$934,430

So far, the Fund has mobilised US$10 million through MSC label royalties andthird-party donations. But in the decade ahead, we’re aiming to scale up this impact
significantly. In 2023, we announced an ambitious goal to raise US$100 million overthe next 10 years – and invited philanthropic organisations, governments andbusinesses to contribute.

Identifying cost-effective solutions to reduce impacts of fishing on
endangered, threatened and protected species (ETP) species will
have positive benefits for populations in the Northern prawn
fishery and potentially other fisheries which impact on ETP
sawfish and sea snake species through knowledge sharing.
Ms Annie Jarrett, CEO, Northern Prawn Fishery Industry Pty Ltd.

to fisheries, NGOs,
researchers and otherpartners in 15 countries

Scaling impact: MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund

Tagging silky sharks to identify post-release survival rates
Silky shark bycatch occurs in tropical tuna purse seine fisheries worldwide. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean tropical tuna fishery,
70% of silky sharks are released alive, but their survival rate is unknown. With support from the Ocean Stewardship Fund, silky
sharks caught in tuna nets will be fitted with a satellite tag and monitored for 60 days. Scientists from the Inter-American Tropical
Tuna Commission will examine the data to estimate survival rates and identify factors that may influence whether a shark is likely
to survive. This could help develop more effective handling and release practices, reducing silky shark mortality rates.

Reducing turtle bycatch in Réunion
Ocean Stewardship Fund support is helping coastal longline swordfish fishers from the Indian Ocean island of Réunion to reduce
bycatch and improve survival rates for marine turtles. Fishers have received training on identifying, handling and releasing turtles,
and are being equipped with onboard turtle handling kits – including a prototype net/spinner designed to remove caught turtles
from the water with care, without pulling on lines or hooks. Turtles with hooks that cannot be removed on board are transported
to a veterinary rehabilitation centre, where the survival rate is an estimated 80%. To date, this collaboration between fishers andscientists has saved more than 400 turtles.

See page 13 for more improvement projects supported by the Ocean Stewardship FundWith support from the Ocean Stewardship Fund, silky
sharks caught in tuna nets will be fitted with a satellite
tag and monitored for 60 days.

40%of the grants wereawarded to fisheries inemerging economies

Find out more about our
Ocean Stewardship Fund
Shoal of bigeye trevally © Getty Images

Silky shark © iStock

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Market momentum
By growing the market for certified seafood, our corporate
partners are incentivising sustainable fishing and enabling
responsible consumption.
While the year saw continued growing commitment to sustainable seafoodfrom retailers and seafood brands throughout the world, Southern Europe,
Japan and the USA have all seen a step change in commitments fromcommercial partners.

Corporate partnerships

Japan
France, Italy, Spain
and Portugal accountfor more than half ofseafood consumption
in the EU.

Southern Europe
In France, sales of MSC certified seafood have doubled over the past five years.
Along with long-standing partners like Carrefour, new retailers have been
joining the program: E.Leclerc and Aldi now offer a wide range of MSC certified
products with increased volume and products bearing the blue MSC label.
Fleury Michon, the country’s leading chilled surimi brand, has added the MSC
label to a significant volume of surimi products over the past year.

Since 2020, the number of MSC labelled products has
increased by 30% to over 700 in Japan. Aeon and theJapanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU) areleading the market for MSC labelled products. The
largest retailer in Japan, Seven & I holdings, is gradually
increasing the number of products in its private brand,
Seven Premium, that use the MSC label, and achieved
chain of custody certification in October 2022, which
encompasses its group retailers such as Ito Yokado.
Major seafood brand Nissui also increased its number
and volume of MSC labelled products.

United States
Despite over 80% of US landings being certified, theUS market and consumers have been slower to demandcertified and ecolabelled seafood. But this is beginningto change: the US is now one of the fastest-growing
markets for MSC certified and labelled seafood.
MSC certified seafood sales have doubled over the past
five years, and over 100 new MSC labelled products
hit the US market last year alone. Long-term partners
including Bumble Bee and Whole Foods have led theway, with North Coast Seafoods also adding new MSC
certified pet food lines and expanding its frozen range.
Our new retail partner Meijer rolled out MSC labelled
seafood across over 240 stores in the Midwest. Safe
Catch also announced a partnership with the MSC andhas committed to selling 100% MSC labelled tuna andsalmon products.

In Italy, Bolton Food has been leading dramatic growth in the sustainable tuna
market through its brand Rio Mare, aiming to source only from MSC certified
fisheries or credible and comprehensive fishery improvement projects by 2024.
Overall, MSC private label products are performing well and have reached 30%
of total MSC volume sold in Italy. Lidl, Eurospin and Conad are the top three.
In Spain, El Corte Ingles is the latest retailer to achieve MSC chain ofcustody certification for its fresh fish counters, joining Eroski and Makro.
Retailers Dia and La Sirena made great strides by releasing 30 and 25 MSC
products in their stores respectively, and Alcampo became the first Spanish
retailer to launch an own-brand skipjack canned tuna product with the
MSC blue label.
In Portugal, several retailers increased their offer of own-brand productswith the MSC label. Market leader Lidl now has 79 MSC certified private label
products and Continente has 45, while Aldi launched the first own-brandcanned tuna product with the MSC label for the Portuguese market. Seafood
brands Iglo and Riberalves each also offer over 50 MSC labelled products.
© Bolton Food

Whole 365 Cod Fillets © MSC
Image credit © Name here

21

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Ready meals

Chilled prepared
129,808 tonnes+14%

Fish counter
13,420 tonnes

Frozen prepared360,727 tonnes

Surimi+12%

Fish oils
1,931 tonnes

US$12.4
billionFood to go
33,364 tonnes
Frozen plain
138,039 tonnes

retail sales value

CannedFood service
42,349 tonnes

MSC labelled consumer products
Steady growth from 2009-2023

0
10,0005,000

10,000CountriesYears

2022-23

2020-212021-222018-192019-20

5,000

2016-17Group
Consumer-facing

15,0002017-18

47,858sites with Chain of Custodycertificate holders

SingleMultisite

MSC labelled consumer products by country
2022/23

20,0002014-1566

nations where consumers
can buy products with theblue MSC label

The MSC and Russia

MSC certified fisheries in Russia are major suppliers of seafood to the international
market. The MSC has condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and, like manyorganisations, has been grappling with how best to respond. Our Board of Trustees
decided in March 2022 that there will be no new activity in Russia, although existingcertificates will be maintained subject to extra due diligence. All certified entities in
Russia must demonstrate their compliance with international sanctions. A 2022 review
by Assurance Services International (ASI) confirmed that independent assessment
bodies were able to uphold the requirements of the program, but this is being kept
under constant review by the MSC, the assessment bodies and ASI. We also madethe decision to end all market and consumer-facing activity in Russia.

+16%

Chilled plain
55,855 tonnes

Total:
1,225,606 tonnes

2015-16

Canned seafood has been one of thefastest-growing categories this year,
thanks mainly to growth in tuna.

+186%
Baby food2013-14At the regional level, we are seeing
very strong growth in North America
and Southern Europe as well as Central
Europe and China. However in some
Northern European markets, despite
strong growth in tuna labelling, sales
have plateaued or declined following
the suspension of major European
herring fisheries.

products withthe blue MSC label

2012-13

As with the entire seafood sector, rapid
food-price inflation and competition
from other proteins affected the sales of
MSC labelled seafood over the last year.
Volume declined by 2% but wholesale
value grew by 11.5%.

Other categories such as surimi, readymeals and pet food have performed welltoo, but the chilled sector is down andmany fresh fish counters closed as aresult of the COVID pandemic.

Canned218,342 tonnes

Pet food
87,704 tonnes

2010-11

In spite of the challenges around
COVID-19 and the ongoing cost of living
crisis, sales of MSC labelled seafood
remain strong. There are now over
20,000 labelled products on shelves in
66 countries globally, representing morethan 1.2 million tonnes or US$12.4 billion
in retail sales value.

Ready meal
48,268 tonnes

20,838Largest percentage growth byproduct type:

Baby food
2,284 tonnes

Surimi
79,718 tonnes

2011-12

Sales of certified seafood are holding up strongly in a challenging
climate in spite of economic headwinds.

Volume sold by product type 2022/23

2009-10MSC labelled sales
remain buoyant

MSC sales

Number of MSC labelled products
available to consumers

22

Other
Germany
FranceUnited States
United Kingdom
Netherlands

Belgium
SwedenSwitzerland
Denmark
Italy
Japan

15,00020,00023

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Consumer awarenessWe’re working with partners to raise awareness of the importance ofsustainable fishing and build demand for MSC certified seafood.
Our Ocean Cookbook 2023 showcasedsustainable seafood recipes from ourglobal network of chef ambassadors– from Korean cod boribap to Italian
spaghetti with clams. This year, we
worked with award-winning foodphotographer David Loftus to capture
the colour and variety of seafood in therecipes, celebrating the vibrancy andnaturalness of the healthy diet that theocean can provide.
Our World Ocean Day campaign,delivered in 23 countries, aimed to growour movement for a #BigBlueFuture.
We released a selection of six stories
highlighting unexpected and innovative
ways in which fisheries meet the MSC
Fisheries Standard, and the sciencebehind sustainable fishing. There were
7.7 million views of our campaign videos

and 147 commercial partners joined thecampaign, including through in-store
materials and social media, alongwith 45 other institutions and 65 MSC
ambassadors and influencers.
In Japan, we held a poetry contest to
celebrate World Ocean Day, inviting
people to write a tanka, a traditional short
five-line poem, celebrating MSC certified
fisheries or seafood. The competition
attracted 1,764 entries, with the prizewinning tankas being selected by MSC
Ambassador Naoki Tanaka and the
MSC’s partners.
Our Check Your Fish campaign inAustria, Germany and Switzerland, run
in conjunction with the ASC, aimed toraise awareness of and trust in the
MSC and ASC labels. Some of the biggest

retailers across the three markets got
involved, along with seafood brands,
suppliers, food service companies andzoos. In Germany, more than one infive people said they remembered thecampaign when prompted, and there wasa noticeable increase in the proportionof consumers who said they trusted the
MSC label.
In the US, the Little Labels, Big Impact
campaign in January 2023 brought MSC
together with two other certification
schemes, the Non-GMO Project andFairtrade America. Our shared aim
was to raise consumer awareness ofthird-party certification and the impacts
that ecolabels like ours can have forsustainable food systems.

Consumer awarenessFor Sustainable Seafood Week in the UK
and Ireland, we celebrated homegrownsustainable seafood and fishingcommunities around the British Isles.
We ran our first-ever MSC UK produced
TV advert which featured MSC certified
Scottish fisheries, reaching 3.2 million
viewers. Our chef ambassadors James
Strawbridge and Mitch Tonks rustled up
delicious recipes on location in cooking
videos, in the Shetland Islands in the far
north of Scotland and in Devon, southern
England respectively.
In Italy, the second annual Sustainable
Seafood Week campaign, ‘We’re all inthe same boat’, in October and November
2022 mobilised a range of commercial
partners to raise awareness of the blue
MSC label. The campaign highlight wasa live event that explored the effects
of climate change on the oceans, aswell as progress in sustainable fishingand seafood markets. We were proudto galvanise the support of 18 partners
including the biggest seafood industry
players in Italy, and reach an estimated 12
million people through press coverage.

Sustainable Seafood Week campaign, UK © MSC

Ocean Cookbook 2023

Naoki Tanaka and a tanka

World Ocean Day campaign 2022

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

In numbers...

6,412,000

Whitefish

tonnes MSC engaged catch*

75%

Every day, millions of people all over the world are able to enjoy whitefish products bearing the
MSC ecolabel. Pollock and cod are the top two MSC labelled species, with hake and haddock also featuringin the top 10. Worldwide around 75% of all whitefish is caught by fisheries engaged in the MSC program,and the market value continues to grow. We are proud to partner with some of the best-managed whitefish
fisheries in the world.

Nomad’s progress

What role can a company like Nomad Foods play in incentivisingsustainable fishing and improvements on the water?

Oliver Spring, Group Sustainability
Manager at Nomad Foods, the owner ofBirds Eye, Findus and iglo, sharesinsights about the group’s sustainablesourcing commitments.

While our number one priority is to source certified fish andseafood wherever possible, we are also proud of our work
supporting non-certified fisheries on their certification journey.
As recently as 2020, following years of support from Nomad
Foods and others, the Namibian hake trawl and longline
fishery became only the second fishery in Africa to achieve
MSC certification. It now provides up to 160,000 tonnes ofsustainable hake into seafood supply chains and sends astrong signal to the whole of the continent about what’s possible.

Nomad Foods is committed to sourcing 100% of its seafood fromcertified sustainable fisheries by 2025. Why is this important?
Our brands have been at the heart of family life for generations.
We want them to be favourites for generations to come. As theworld’s population increases and consumer demand for seafood
continues to rise, the role we play in promoting sustainablefishing is critical and fundamental for the long-term resilienceand growth of our business.
What progress have you made this year?
We are the world’s largest buyer of MSC certified wild-caught
whitefish, with 99.0% of our wild capture fish and seafood
coming from certified fisheries. This was in part due toimprovements in our Belgian, Portuguese and Finnish markets
this year, with 100% of the fish and seafood products in our
iglo Belgium, iglo Portugal and Findus Finland portfolios now
carrying the MSC label.

Species focusof global wild whitefish catch from MSC
engaged fisheries**
Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 567,828
2021-22 | 603,1440

400,000

600,000

Whitefish

201

MSC engaged fisheries155

Now that you’ve almost met your commitment, do you need tokeep up your support?
We remain committed to growing the global network of certified
fisheries – we have been working with Argentinian hake
fisheries, for example. Having more certified fisheries helps
us develop and diversify our portfolio, and manage risks
from climate change. We also work closely with certified
fisheries to track progress they are making to maintain theirsustainable performance.

200,000

Hake improvements

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

MSC certification has brought significant market benefits to South Africa’s
hake trawl fishery – first certified in 2004 – and Namibia’s hake fishery,certified in 2020, as well as driving a number of management improvements.
Now, the South African longline hake fishery has embarked on its journey
toward certification by entering our In-Transition to MSC pilot program.

93

16

A grant from our Ocean Stewardship Fund is enabling the fishery to makeseveral environmental improvements through training and awarenessraising. Among other things, this aims to improve handling and release ofendangered, threatened or protected species, especially seabirds, and to
map and mitigate potential impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems.

44

2

UK coley with winter vegetables © David Loftus/MSC

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Ecosystems andhabitats

Stock status andharvest strategy

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species
numbers are not directly comparable.

27

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Small pelagics
Small pelagic species make up a quarter of theworld’s fish catch, and play a vital role in marine
food webs. Nearly 15% of the global small
pelagic catch comes from fisheries engaged
in the MSC program.

North East Atlantic: still no agreement
Disappointment continues as coastal states in the North
East Atlantic once again failed to agree a quota sharearrangement on Atlantic mackerel, Atlanto-Scandian
herring and blue whiting. As a result, fishing nations
harvesting these stocks have set individual quotas that,when combined, far exceed scientific advice. Due to thelack of effective international management, these fisheries
had their MSC certification suspended in 2019 and 2020.
This continued political failure raises the risk of stocks
collapsing, which would be hugely harmful to the marine
environment, the fishing industry and the seafoodmarket. We’ve been pressing government delegations
to reach a solution, along with businesses committed tocertified sustainable seafood. The North East Atlantic
Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA), a coalition of more than
60 retailers, food service companies and suppliers, hasbeen running two advocacy and policy-based fisheryimprovement projects calling on governments to agree
sustainable catch shares, follow the science and commit tolong-term management. But if a deal isn’t reached, manymembers have warned they will stop sourcing fromthese fisheries.

Cornish sardines © David Loftus/MSC

Contents

Species focus

29

In numbers...
Find out more about
small pelagic fisheries

Cornish sardines
Recertified for a second time in August 2022, the Cornwall sardine fishery is
now the only source of MSC certified sustainable sardines in Europe after otherfisheries were suspended or withdrew from the program. The fishery consistsof 15 small vessels catching sardines (European pilchard) using ring nets,
with minimal bycatch.
Also in 2022, Tesco launched its own-label canned Cornish sardines bearing the
MSC label – the first time a UK retailer has sold canned Cornish sardines under
its own brand. The supermarket sources from the Cornish Sardine Management
Association, whose members fish and process almost all the sardines caught
in the UK. The sardines are canned in the UK’s only cannery, International Fish
Canners in Aberdeenshire.
Maintaining MSC certification is also boosting exports, as the fisheryincreasingly supplies large canneries in Spain and Portugal. Around 50 MSC
labelled Cornish sardine products are now available in a dozen countries.

We’re proud to be the only supplier of MSC certified sardines in
Europe. Sardines have been fished off the coast of Cornwall for
hundreds of years, and we want our sustainable fishingtradition to continue for future generations.
Gus Caslake, Cornish Sardine Management Association

The Southern Gulf of California thread herring
fishery and the small pelagics fishery in Sonora,
both of which are located in Mexico, were recertified
this year with catch volumes of over 500,000 tonnes.

3,868,000
tonnes MSC engaged catch*15%

of global wild small pelagic catchfrom MSC engaged fisheries**

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)***2022-23 | 98,859
2021-22 | 137,688
0

50,000100,000 150,000 200,00042Pelaic
MSC engaged fisheries

66

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

13

27

8

18

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Ecosystems andhabitats

Stock status andharvest strategy

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021***Eco-labelled products aimed at consumers make up only a small proportion of thetotal catch, most of which is used for fishmeal/oil
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers
are not directly comparable.

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

tonnes MSC engaged catch*

Ecuador celebrates tuna milestone

With 14 new fisheriescertified this year and 56 inassessment, tuna has neverbeen more prominent in the
MSC program. The volume oftuna products sold with the
MSC ecolabel has almost tripled
in the last five years.

Ecuador is the world’s second-largest tuna producer, landing around
300,000 tonnes each year, so the certification of the first Ecuadorian tuna
fishery in July 2022 was a significant milestone.

This year saw significant progress in both the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. In November 2022, the International
Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tuna agreed toadopt state-of-the-art harvest control measures to safeguard
Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. This marks a major departurefrom the annual quota negotiations that allowed bluefin tuna
to be overfished to the verge of collapse by the early yearsof this century. With the Western Atlantic stock recovered, in
September 2022 a small-scale fishery in the south of Spain, JC
Mackintosh, became the third bluefin tuna fishery to achieve
MSC certification.
In December 2022, the 26 member nations of the Western
Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) reached abreakthrough agreement to adopt a harvest strategy forskipjack – the most abundant tuna species and the largest tuna
fishery on Earth – and reaffirmed its commitment to introduce
harvest strategies for all tuna species. This is a big win for theregion’s certified tuna fisheries, which account for 80% of
AGAC, MSC Spain and Lloyds Register representatives with Teresa Ribera, Vice President andMinister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge and Alicia Villauriz, General
Secretary of Fisheries © Neo Estudio/MSC

53%

of global wild tuna catch from MSC
engaged fisheries**

It’s the result of years of hard work by the companies that make up
TUNACONS – Nirsa, Eurofish and Servigrup from Ecuador, Grupo Jadranfrom Panama and US-based Tri Marine. Formed in 2016, TUNACONS has
been working with WWF to bring its operations up to the MSC Standard,
including by developing biodegradable fish aggregating devices (FADs)
and reducing bycatch.

Can of tuna © milosljubicic

Tuna are highly migratory fish, so sustainable management
requires international cooperation beyond the efforts ofindividual fisheries and management agencies.

In numbers...

31

2,622,000

Tuna

Progress in international management

Species focus

MSC certified tuna – but which risked losing their MSC status if
the WCPFC failed to reach an agreement.
In a global first, the Spanish tuna association AGAC-OPAGAC
achieved certification for tuna in four ocean regions: yellowfin
in the Eastern Pacific, yellowfin, skipjack and bigeye in theWestern Pacific, yellowfin in the Atlantic and skipjack in the
Indian Ocean. The certificate includes 60 purse seiners and a
total volume of around 188,000 tonnes.

The certification covers 47 purse-seine vessels catching yellowfin tuna in
the Eastern Pacific, but the companies are hoping to achieve certification
for skipjack and bigeye soon. And others could soon be joining them, withthree other companies aiming to become TUNACONS members and working
on action plans to meet the MSC Standard.
A second tuna fishery in the country – the Eastern Pacific purse seine
yellowfin tuna fishery – also achieved certification this year, and is aiming
to expand its scope to include skipjack.

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 178,361
2021-22 | 132,507
0

50,000100,000 150,000 200,000

Tuna

159

MSC engaged fisheries

50
We are very proud that our yellowfin is now certified, andit motivates us to achieve certification for other tuna
species. This achievement is a cause of celebration not justfor TUNACONS nor Ecuador, but also for the entire region
as it is the biggest fleet to achieve MSC certification on thisside of the Pacific.
Guillermo Morán Velásquez, Director General of TUNACONS

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

17

3

4

26

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Ecosystems andhabitats

Find out more about tuna

Stock status andharvest strategy

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy* Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

In numbers...

Contents

In numbers...

116,000

15,312

tonnes MSC engaged catch*tonnes MSC engaged catch*

4%

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)of global wild squid catch from MSC engaged
fisheries**

Squid

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

Octopus2022-23 | 172
2021-22 | 116
02022-23 | 2,557

Squid are important both as food forhuman consumption and as prey forother marine species. Healthy squid
populations are also vital to a healthy
ocean. As of the end of March 2023,
certified squid comes from just two
species in the US Northeast, but thesetrailblazing fisheries have helped toestablish a market for MSC labelledsquid, with over 80 products sold in atleast 18 countries last year. The supplyof MSC certified squid could soon grow,however: two more species entered full
assessment this year – one in California
and one in the Falkland Islands – while
the Indonesian Medan squid handline
fishery is part of our In-Transition to MSC
pilot program. Our Fisheries Standard
review also clarified methods fordetermining sustainable harvest levels
for species such as squid that havefluctuating population levels.

Squid strategies in Kerala
Squid fishers in Kerala, India are receiving
support from our Ocean Stewardship Fundas part of a fishery improvement projectthat aims to achieve MSC certification in
the medium term. The funding will help
evaluate the most effective management
measures for the fishery, which trawls forboth cephalopods and shrimp, by using
simulation models to test their impact ontarget stocks and the wider ecosystem.
This will help prioritise measures tomitigate any changes from variable
environmental conditions to which squid
are particularly sensitive.

The MSC stands for protecting the future of oceanic resources andencourages everyone to move towards sustainable use of fishstocks without overexploiting them. I believe the MSCʼs work in
India will help to achieve sustainability soon.

2021-22 | 1,790
0500

1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500

Squid

6

MSC engaged fisheries

1

improvement made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

1

Endangered, threatened and protected species
and bycatch*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species
numbers are not directly comparable.

Species focus

Only two octopus fisheries, in Spain
and Australia, have MSC certification
to date and one Mexican fishery is in
our In-Transition to MSC pilot program.
However, there has been growinginterest in certified octopus globally.
Our MedPath project has supported
pre-assessments and developed actionplans for four octopus fisheries in the
Mediterranean. The project is also
developing an open-source app to
support stock assessments, which
can help set sustainable harvest
levels – a key challenge forcertification, since octopus
populations can fluctuate drastically
due to environmental conditions.

Western Australia octopus
Fremantle Octopus, Abrolhos
Octopus and South West Octopus
are the companies behind the only
MSC certified octopus fishery inthe southern hemisphere, basedin Western Australia. While mostoctopuses globally are caught using
trawl methods, within the fisheryFremantle Octopus has developed
its patented Trigger Trap, designed
to catch only octopuses. The trap has
reduced bycatch to less than
1%, while increasing octopus
catch rates by up to 200%. Smaller
octopuses are recorded and released,
fostering academic research into sea
creature populations.

50

100

150

200

250

Oct

3

MSC engaged fisheries

3

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

1

Stock status and harvest strategy

2

Fishery management, governance and policy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species
numbers are not directly comparable.

Western Australia leads the world in sustainable fishingpractices, and we’re proud to play a part in that reputation.
Choosing Fremantle Octopus with the MSC blue tick ensures
future generations can enjoy the treasures of the ocean.

Saranya A Sankar, PhD Researcher, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Glenn Wheeler, Managing Director, Fremantle Octopus

Squid with peppers and Creole sauce © MSC

Western Australia octopus fishery © Jason Thomas/MSC

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

CrabContents

In numbers...

129,000
tonnes MSC engaged catch*

8%

In numbers...

Lobster

108,000
tonnes MSC engaged catch*

35%

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 1,423

Pontchartrain Blue Crab: 10 years’ commitment
Premium crab supplier Pontchartrain Blue Crab won the 2022 MSC US Ocean
Champion Award in recognition of its 10-year commitment to MSC certification, andcontinued dedication to ocean health. First certified in 2012, the Louisiana-based
Pontchartrain blue crab fishery was the first MSC certified fishery in the Gulf of
Mexico and the first swimming crab fishery in the MSC program.

2021-22 | 1,565
0500

1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500

Crab

34

MSC engaged fisheries

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

11

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Pontchartrain Blue Crab is thriving today due to customers like
Walmart, Wholefoods and Wegmans who increasingly demandsustainable products, specifically MSC certified seafood.
Gary Bauer, owner of Pontchartrain Blue Crab, Inc.

Peel Harvey blue swimming crab © MSC

4

Ecosystems andhabitats

Lobster has been part of the MSC story from the very beginning – ever since
Western Australian rock lobster became the first fishery to achieve certificationback in 2000. In the Northwest Atlantic, this year saw the suspension andsubsequent withdrawal of the iconic Gulf of Maine lobster fishery, but several
Canadian lobster fisheries continue to meet the MSC Standard and are working
closely with the Canadian government to mitigate the risk of interactions withcritically endangered right whales. Measures include extensive at-sea, aerial
and acoustic monitoring as well as mandatory gear marking, reporting of lostgear and temporary closures in areas where right whales are seen.

Baja red lobster

25

6

Stock status andharvest strategy

4

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

35of global wild lobster catch from
MSC engaged fisheries**of global wild crab catch from
MSC engaged fisheries**

From snow crabs in the Barents Sea to king crabs in Patagonia, the range of crab
species in the MSC program continues to grow. Along with major players in the
cold-water crab sector, we’re now starting to see increased engagement fromwarm-water crab fisheries: the Indonesia Madura Island blue swimmer crab trap
and Indonesia Southeast Maluku Evu mud crab fisheries continue to participate
in our In-Transition to MSC pilot program with expected completion dates of 2024
and 2025 respectively. The Norway Barents Sea snow crab fishery also enteredassessment in 2023.

Species focus

Mexico’s Baja California red rock lobster fishery was recertified for the thirdtime in August 2022. The fishery was the first emerging economy fishery to
be certified to the MSC Standard in 2004. And it could soon be followed bya second red rock lobster fishery in Baja California, which has been making
improvements as part of the In-Transition to MSC pilot program. A grant fromour Ocean Stewardship Fund is helping to support knowledge sharing between
the two fisheries.

After nearly two decades in the MSC program, we are very
happy to be recertified for a third time. Our success showsthat a small-scale fishery from an emerging economy can bea world leader when it comes to sustainability.
Mario Ramade, Mexico Baja California red rock lobster fishery

European lobster © Tony Fitzsimmons2022-23 | 3,332
2021-22 | 3,784
01,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000

Lobster

17

MSC engaged fisheries

16

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

11

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

3

Stock status andharvest strategy

2

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

In numbers...

915,000

tonnes MSC engaged catch*tonnes MSC engaged catch*

68%

37%

SalmonSustainable salmon on Annette Island
Alaska’s Annette Islands Reserve salmon fishery, managed by the Metlakatla IndianCommunity, was recertified for a second time in 2022. Salmon plays a large role in
the life and the culture of Metlakatla: most residents of Alaska’s only Indian reserve
are involved in the industry, whether fishing or working at the local processing plant
where the salmon is smoked, canned and packed. Members of the Metlakatla IndianCommunity harvest chum, coho, king, sockeye and pink salmon in the waters off
Annette Islands. Since first achieving MSC certification in 2011, they have made anumber of improvements to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.

Salmon fishing has been part of our culture for generations, andwe want to ensure that it remains so for generations to come.
To be recertified by the MSC for a second time is testament to ourcommitment to caring for the resources that our ocean and rivers
provide for us.
Albert G. Smith, Mayor, Metlakatla Indian Community.

MSC AIR salmon processing © MSC

Bivalves in numbers...

685,000

Bivalvesand seaweedof global wild salmon catch from
MSC engaged fisheries**

Salmon has been an MSC success story, with 68% of the wild salmon harvest
certified to the MSC Standard. And these certified fisheries continue to make
improvements: the Alaska salmon fishery is using a grant from our Ocean Stewardship
Fund to study potential impacts on two threatened seabirds, the Kittlitz’s murrelet
and marbled murrelet.

Species focus

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 55,006

of global bivalve catch from MSC
engaged fisheries**
Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 37,165

SalmonAs interest grows in the value of aquatic foods for future food security (seepage 6), bivalves and seaweed can offer some of the lowest-impact ways toincrease food production. Some of these production systems straddle theboundary between wild capture and aquaculture: MSC certification covers
both wild and enhanced bivalve fisheries, while our Seaweed Standard has
been developed jointly with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

MSC engaged fisheries

Saint-Brieuc coquilles Saint-Jacques

Bivalves
48

Half a century after overfishing pushed stocks close to collapse, a scallop
fishery in Baie de Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, France achieved MSC certification in
December 2022. The certification covers 228 licensed vessels with an average
length of 11m.

182021-22 | 62,843
0

20,00040,00060,00080,000100,000

51

42

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

2

32

1

7

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Ecosystems andhabitats

Stock status andharvest strategy

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

Following a long-term recovery program led by the scallop fishers, andsupported by French marine institute Ifremer, scallop stocks have returned
to historic levels. The fishery has put strict science-based measures in place
to maintain healthy populations, including a closed period, minimum size
limits and a maximum catch per boat and per day. Assessors determined that
dredging for scallops causes no long-term damage to seabed habitats that are
constantly disturbed by storms and currents.

Seaweed in numbers...

54

engaged farms

16,592

tonnes of engaged seaweed harvest

Scallops at Baie de Saint-Brieuc © Bertrend Duouene - Cobrenord/MSC

37

2021-22 | 44,801
0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

MSC engaged fisheries

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

7

7

1

3

Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Ecosystems andhabitats

Stock status andharvest strategy

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy* Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

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Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Contents

In numbers...
tonnes MSC engaged catch*11%of global wild prawn and shrimp catchfrom MSC engaged fisheries**

Peel the difference
Our Christmas prawn campaign in Australia urged consumers to “peelthe difference” when they choose festive seafood. According to research
we commissioned, seven out of 10 Australians consider prawns to be an
integral part of their Christmas – about 40% of all prawns consumed inAustralia are eaten at Christmastime. But, worryingly, half of the people
we surveyed weren’t intending to choose sustainable seafood – eventhough more than half of the prawns caught in Australian waters come from
MSC certified fisheries. In the run-up to Christmas, we joined forces withchefs and commercial partners to put sustainable prawns in the spotlight,
sharing mouth-watering recipes and running advertising and educational
campaigns. The campaign had an overall reach of 39 million impressions
with high levels of engagement, and the campaign videos were watchedover 300,000 times.

39 million
impressions with highlevels of engagement

300,000
views of thecampaign videos

Growing up by the Shoalhaven River, I loved fishing,catching crabs and prawning. My dad taught me how tocatch dinner in our old tinnie, but we’d only ever take what
we needed.
Courtney Roulston posing as a prawn mermaid for thePeel the Difference Australia Christmas 2022/summer
marketing campaign © MSC

39

334,000

Prawn
and shrimp
Prawns and shrimps of all types are well
represented in the MSC program, comprising 35of the 550 certified fisheries. Engagement withshrimp and prawn fisheries in warmer waters
has been slower than in cold-water regions, but
we saw a step forward with the commerciallysignificant US Gulf of Mexico shrimp fisheryentering assessment.

Species focus

Courtney Roulston, chef and TV presenter

Volume of MSC labelledsales (tonnes)

2022-23 | 41,861
2021-22 | 45,958
0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

Prawn

42

MSC engaged fisheries

36

improvements made over the last three
years by certified fisheries

10

6Endangered,threatened andprotected species
and bycatch

Stock status andharvest strategy

17

3

Ecosystems andhabitats

Fishery
management,
governance andpolicy*Engaged means certified, in assessment, in-transition to MSC, or suspended**As per UN FAO data, 2021
As the data methodology has changed from previous reports, the species numbers are
not directly comparable.

40

Contents

Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Our funding and donors
This year we would like to thank the many donors, including
trusts, foundations and statutory bodies, from across the globe
that have supported our work. In addition to the generous
support for MSC’s many projects, we also received significant
and new generous grants for our Ocean Stewardship Fund.
This has included ongoing support from the MAVA Foundation
to help small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and West
Africa; from the Walton Family Foundation to establish a newloan guarantee facility, enabling fisheries working towards
sustainable management practices to access additional
financing; and from the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation for the Ocean
Stewardship Fund.
We would also like to thank the Dutch Postcode Lottery for its
continued core support; the Walton Family Foundation for its
continuing generous support for projects around the world;the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for supporting ourwork in Japan and facilitating our East Asia Sea Pathway to
Sustainability project; the Adessium Foundation for supporting
our work in the Mediterranean; the A.G. Leventis Foundation
for work in Greece; and the Remmer Foundation for a grant towork with small-scale fisheries in southern Africa. Financial
support from the Common Oceans Tuna Project, funded by
the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO), enabled the MSC
to undertake a project on climate change adaptation. Finally,
we also continue to receive generous support from the Triad
Foundation and Holzer Family Foundation for which we are
truly grateful.

Our funding and donors

Our finances����-��

We would like to thank the following organisations for their support:
US Foundations
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Walton Family Foundation
New Venture Fund
Remmer Family Foundation
Triad Foundation
Holzer Family Foundation
UK Trusts and Foundations
A.G. Leventis Foundation

European Foundations
Adessium Foundation (Netherlands)
Dutch Postcode Lottery
MAVA Fondation pour la Nature(Switzerland)
Hans Wilsdorf Foundation (Switzerland)
Statutory bodies
MMO (Marine Management
Organisation, for Project UK)
GEF via FAO

NGOs
WWF-Sweden
WWF-UK (for Project UK)

Total
expenditure£32.73 million£30.57 million

Corporate
Project UK (various)

7.0%

Donations and legacies

1.9%

Other trading activities

88.7% Income from charitable		
activities (logo licensing)
2.4%

Report by the Trustees
on the summarised
financial statements

Total
incomeWhere the money comes from

Income from investments

Where the money goes to
21.0% Policy and maintenance of Standard
31.8% Education and awareness	
34.9% Commercial and fisheries 		
servicing and outreach
6.5%

Logo licensing

3.4%

Ocean Stewardship Fund*The summarised financial information is
extracted from the full statutory trustees’
annual report and financial statements
which were approved by the trustees andsigned on their behalf on 27 July 2023.
An unqualified audit report was issued inrelation to the full statutory trustees’ annual
report and financial statements by our
auditors Crowe U.K. LLP on 25 August 2023.
The auditors have confirmed to the trustees
that, in their opinion, the summarised
financial information is consistent with thefull financial statements for the year ended
31 March 2023. This summarised financial
information may not contain sufficient
information to gain a complete
understanding of the financial affairs of thecharity. The full statutory trustees’ report,
financial statements and auditors’ report
may be obtained in writing from the FinanceDirector, Marine Stewardship Council,
1 Snow Hill, London, EC1A 2DH, UK.
Signed, on behalf of the Trustees:

2.4% 	Expenditure on raising funds

Total funds at 31 March 2023: £42.1 million
Compared with total funds of £40.7 million on 31 March 2022
Other gains and losses in the year not shown under income or expenditure amounted
to a loss of £0.75 million*This represents 5% of our royalty income

41

Werner Kiene,
Chair, MSC Board of Trustees

25 August 2023

42

Contents

Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

Governance

The Technical Advisory Board
The Technical Advisory Board works in close collaboration
with the MSC Executive to provide advice to the
MSC Board of Trustees on technical and scientific mattersrelating to the MSC Standards and associated policies,
including developing methodologies for certification andaccreditation, as well as related scientific andtechnical research.

���� -�3

The MSC Board of Trustees
The MSC Board of Trustees is the MSC’s governing
body. With advice from the Executive Committee,
Technical Advisory Board and Stakeholder Advisory
Council, it sets the strategic direction of the MSC,
monitors progress and ensures the MSC meets
its objectives.

Dr Werner Kiene
Chair

Thank you to
departing members:

Mr Paul Uys
Chair, Marine StewardshipCouncil International Board

Ms Amanda Nickson

Mr Giles Bolton

Mr Jim Leape

Ms Maria Damanaki

Mr Stuart GreenMr David Lock

Dr Christopher
Zimmermann

Dr Kevin Stokes
Mr Kristjan Th. Davidsson

Marine Stewardship Council
International Board
The Marine Stewardship Council International (MSCI)
Board provides oversight of the MSC’s ecolabel licensing
and fee structure.

Our funding and finances

Mr Paul Uys
MSCI Chair
Dr Werner Kiene
MSC Board of Trustees Chair
Mr Rupert Howes
MSC Chief Executive
Mr Giles Bolton

Ms Stefanie Moreland

Dr Rebecca Lent
(USA) Chair

Welcome to newmembers:

Dr Florian Baumann(Germany)

Mr Wisdom Akpalu(Ghana)(Co-opted member)

Dr Tim Essington(USA)
Mr José Augusto Pinto
de Abreu(Brazil)
Dr Victor Restrepo(USA)
Dr Keith Sainsbury(Australia)
Ms Michèle Stark(Switzerland)
Mr Adam Swan(UK)

Ms Jacqui Dixon(South Africa)(Co-opted member)
Ms Adriana Fabra(Spain)(Co-opted member)

43

In Memoria
Dr Hartwig Schafer

Dr Hartwig (Hart) Schafer died suddenly in May
2023. Internationally recognised for his work with
the World Bank and European Union on improving
livelihoods and inclusion, Hart joined our Board in
April 2023 and had been due to take up his role as Chair of the
MSC Board of Trustees in late July 2023. We are saddened that
we will not get to share our journey with him in the years ahead.

Professor Abdul Ghofar

Professor Abdul Ghofar, who passed away inMarch 2023, was a tireless advocate for scienceand sustainability. A member of our former
Stakeholder Council, he touched the lives ofmany through his research and commitment to applying it inpractice, not least within the Indonesian blue swimming crab
fishery. We will remember his contributions to fisheriesscience and practice.

Mr John Connelly

Mr John Connelly, President of the US National
Fisheries Institute (NFI), passed away in November
2022. A popular and influential figure in theseafood industry, John had been president of the
NFI since 2003. He was a huge advocate of sustainable fishing,serving on the MSC Board of Trustees for six years. The positive
impact of his work will continue to benefit the seafood industry
for many years to come.

Dr Christopher
Zimmermann(Germany)

Mr Fernando Lago
Ms Valentina Tripp

Membership is correct as of 31 March 2023

Shoal of tuna © Kate Von Unsplash

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Contents

Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2022-23

The MSC Stakeholder
Advisory Council
The MSC Stakeholder Advisory Council
works in close collaboration with
the MSC Executive to provide advice
to the MSC Board of Trustees on
strategic, policy or operational issues,
including input into the MSC’s formal
Standard review processes. It includes
representatives from the seafoodindustry, conservation community,
market sector and academia. Its
membership reflects diverse expertise,
experiences, geographies and interests
in relation to the work of the MSC. The
Stakeholder Advisory Council is also
a formal channel through which all
stakeholders, whether members of the
Stakeholder Advisory Council or not,can provide their views to the MSC.

Ms Heather Brayford
Chair, Government ofWestern Australia,
Department of Primary
Industries and Regional
Development, Australia
Dr Johann Augustyn
SADSTIA, South Africa
Mr Rory Crawford
Birdlife International/
RSPB, UK
Ms Yumie Kawashima
Aeon, JapanMr Tor Larsen
Norwegian Fishermen’s
Association, Norway
Dr Ghislaine Llewellyn
WWF International,
Australia
Ms Carmen Revenga
The Nature
Conservancy, USA

Membership is correct as of 31 March 2023

Ms María José Espinosa
RomeroCommunidad y
Biodiversidad A.C(COBI), Mexico
Welcome to newmembers:
Mr Damien Bell
BellBuoy Seafoods,
Western Australia
Mr Christian Haller
CR-Manager, Aldi Nord,
Germany
Mr Marcelo Hidalgo
Fishery Consultant,
PNG Fishing Industry
Association,
Netherlands

Dr Bryce Stewart
Senior Lecturer andDirector for Engagement
and Partnerships,
Department ofEnvironment andGeography, University
of York, UK
Ms Mod Talawat
UN Office for Project
Services, ProgrammeManagement Specialist(National Coordinator),
Thailand

There can be no healthy planet without a healthy
ocean, and the ocean’s health is currently indecline. Intergenerational justice demands we
dedicate ourselves to reversing that decline.
Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary Generalʼs Special
Envoy for the Ocean

Thank you to departing
members:
Ms Amanda Nickson
Ms Stefanie Moreland
Ms Christine Penney
Mr Ivan Lopez Pesquera
Mr Marco Quesada

Coral reef, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt © Renata Romeo / Ocean Image Bank

Contents

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All data in this report is correct as of 31 March 2023, unless otherwise stated. The reporting year
is 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Registered Charity number: 1066806. Registered Company number: 3322023© Marine Stewardship Council 2023