MSC UK and Ireland
State of the Water Report 2023

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Contents
Preface					3Introduction					5​​UK and Ireland Fisheries Landscape					

6​Political Developments: EU Exit					

7What is a ‘Fishery’ at MSC?					

9MSC Certified UK and Irish Fisheries					

10​Fishing Grounds and Marine Life					

13​MSC Fisheries Standard v2.0					16​The MSC Fisheries Standard Scoring					

17Scores and Conditions					18
​Improving High Performance					19
​​Conditions in UK and Irish Fisheries					

20​ ow Conditions Lead to Change in,H
on and Around the Water					

28​Continued Improvement Built In					

31​The Ocean Stewardship Fund					

31Stakeholder Input					33
​​Climate Change and UK and Irish Fisheries				40

Discussion					41
​Annex					46
​

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MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Preface
The MSC’s vision is of the world’s oceans teeming with lifeand seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future
generations. We use our blue MSC ecolabel, and fishery andsupply chain certification programmes, to support the healthof the world’s oceans, by recognising and rewarding
sustainable fishing practices.
Our goal is to have more than one third of global marine catch
certified or engaged with the MSC programme by 2030,
supporting productivity and resilience in the world’s oceans.
Achievement of this goal is ambitious but essential, as it will
make a significant contribution to the delivery of the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water- target. In the UK and Ireland our aim is to increase thenumber of fisheries engaged in MSC’s programme and haveat least one third of the UK and Ireland’s catch certified, in
assessment, or transitioning into the programme by 2030.
As a mission-driven organisation, it is vitally important thatcertification leads to change on the water. People buying
seafood products with the blue MSC ecolabel, as well as theseafood businesses that use it, are then confident that theirchoices are directly helping to transform the seafood market
to a sustainable one, and have a direct, positive impact on
our oceans.
In this first State of the Water report for the United Kingdom
and Ireland, we provide a detailed analysis on the positiveeffect that certification is having on the fisheries that havechosen to be assessed against the MSC Fisheries Standard.
You will see evidence of how certification provides a credible
and robust measure of the health of certified fisheries stocks,
how these fisheries minimise their impact on the marine
environment, and how the management measures they use
ensure that this good practice is maintained.
The report demonstrates how MSC certification has not only
recognised sustainable practice at the point of initialassessment, but also how maintaining it is driving a fishery’scommitment to continuously improving performance andmeet best practice, validated through annual MSC audits.
Analysis of these improvements profile how the United
Kingdom and Ireland’s MSC certified fisheries aredemonstrating their world leading position for sustainability,
to seafood markets and consumers around the world.
Policy makers, NGOs and academics are increasingly
recognising that scaling up the production of sustainable
food from oceans, rivers and lakes, known as blue foods, is
one of the most effective ways to feed a growing global
population while reducing the environmental impacts of foodproduction. MSC certified fisheries in the UK and Ireland
have a vital role to play in this ‘Blue Foods’ revolution.
Not only do blue, aquatic foods have, on average, greater
nutritional benefits than meat from terrestrial animals,
seafood production usually has fewer environmentally
harmful impacts than the production of land-based proteins.
Generally, carbon emissions from seafood production are
significantly lower than red meat production. Wild caught

small pelagic fish like sardines, mackerel and herring, haveamong the lowest environmental impacts, while bivalves —shellfish such as mussels, clams and oysters — generate
fewer greenhouse-gas emissions and are more nutrient
dense than beef, pork or chicken1.
Certification is a transparent process that depends upon theengagement of a wide array of relevant stakeholders, who
actively contribute to fishery’s MSC assessment journey.
This ensures that fisheries achieving certification havewillingly opened their day-to-day practices and data toexternal scrutiny and continue to do so as a requirement ofmaintaining certification. The MSC process actively requiresthat stakeholders are invited to participate in assessments,
and in this report, we detail the positive influence that thesestakeholders make to ensure the process remains credible
and trusted.
The MSC’s mission is designed to tap into the positive
influence of market forces, utilising seafood consumption
and consumer demand for sustainable products to incentivise
increasing participation. We call this virtuous circle our‘Theory of Change’. As more certified seafood enters themarket, consumers are given a greater choice of MSC
products. This increases demand, led by businesses putting
certification at the heart of their sustainable sourcing
policies. Suppliers to those businesses translate thatdemand by sending stronger signals back to their source
fisheries on the business case for certification. MSC’s UK and
Ireland Market Report outlines the power of consumer choicein achieving sustainable outcomes for our ocean. As moreleading fisheries seek certification to demonstrate theirsustainable practices, the environmental performance on thewater is driven up, reflecting consumer preference for our
oceans to be sustainably managed.
Seeing the number and range of fisheries engage in the MSC
programme is the strongest indication of our Theory of
Change in action. The fisheries presented within this report
and their retention of certification, are testament to thededication of the UK and Irish fishing industry’s commitment
to sustainability, and their desire to demonstrate that they
are world leading and operating at the MSC’s high bar of bestpractice. Through the recognition and reward of the blue MSC
ecolabel being placed on products sourced from thesefisheries, we hope that more will attain that sameacknowledgment and realise the opportunity for UK and
Ireland fisheries management to become truly world leading.
We passionately believe that the MSC, as a solutionsorientated programme, is a force for good, helping to secure
livelihoods that depend on a sustainable fishing industry,sustainable food for a growing global population, andmaintaining healthy oceans, around the UK and Ireland andall over the globe.
Thank you for taking the time to read our report.
George Clark, UK and Ireland Programme Director

Source: Coleman, J., :Eat more fish: when switching to seafood helps — and when it doesn’t (2022)

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Introduction
This State of the Water report outlines the positive change
in UK and Irish fisheries that has been driven by the MSC
programme, and the impacts that this has had on thewater. Its scope covers the 19 UK and Irish fisheries thatare currently MSC certified (a detailed list of the fisheries
analysed in this report can be found in the Annex).
The MSC’s journey in the UK and Ireland has lasted over
23 years: the first fishery in the UK to gain certification—and one of the first fisheries in the MSC’s programme
globally—was the Thames Blackwater herring drift-net
fishery, in the year 2000. Although no longer certified,
this certification marked the beginning of fisheries in the
UK and Ireland entering and succeeding becoming MSC
certified. The Burry Inlet cockle fishery was the first
fishery within the scope of this report to become certified,in 2001, and has maintained certification ever since.
During these past 23 years, UK and Irish fisheries havemade significant progress in demonstrating theirsustainability, through gaining MSC certification. One
quarter (25%) of the UK’s national landings now comefrom MSC certified fisheries, as do 8% of the Republic of
Ireland’s (both combined amounts to 20%). The waters
around the British Isles contain biodiverse yet sensitive
ecosystems, and the incentives provided by the MSC
programme have encouraged UK and Irish fisheries into
not only taking greater care in how they operate, but also
better observing and studying their impacts, enabling a
deeper understanding of how fisheries can reduce theireffect on the surrounding environment.
The MSC performance indicators scored during theirassessments demonstrate that these fisheries haveactively reduced their impact on the surrounding
environment and managed their stocks to ensure theirhealth, helping secure productive and sustainablefisheries for future generations. Furthermore, 146
improvements towards demonstrating best practice on
the water have been made across this 20-year period,

through the closing of conditions and improvements thatare required as part of participation in the programme.
Finally, through the open and inclusive stakeholder
consultation process, the growth of MSC in the UK and
Ireland has brought more stakeholders into thesustainable fishing conversation. Stakeholder input has
not only been vital in assuring that the Fisheries Standard
is applied correctly when assessing fisheries during theauditing process, but also in helping ensure carefulattention is paid to every detail, no matter how small, in
the assessment reports.
In October 2022, after significant stakeholder engagement,
the MSC published the newest version of the Fisheries
Standard (version 3), in line with current best practice.
The increased requirements to demonstrate mitigation ofenvironmental impacts are intended to further encourage
fisheries to improve their sustainability. In recognition of
the importance of improving access and providing
assurance to fisheries working on sustainability
improvements globally, the MSC expanded the scope of
its In Transition to MSC (ITM) programme in May 2023. ITM
is intended to support fisheries in making measurable,
independently verified progress towards best practice,and enable fisheries to demonstrate the credibility of theircommitment to improving their sustainability. The MSC’s
improvement tools help fisheries identify where changes
are needed, develop an action plan, and monitor progressin a transparent, structured way that empowers more
fisheries to make the improvements necessary to secure
their fishing operations into the future.
The MSC UK & Ireland team’s hope is that this report andits insights on the progress that UK and Irish fisheries
have made towards demonstrating best practice insustainable fishing, while continuing to harvest and sell
their catch, will inspire others to follow their lead.

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UK and Ireland Fisheries Landscape
The UK and Ireland wild capture fishing sectors target a diverse variety of species: shellfish (e.g. mussels and lobster),demersal species (e.g. haddock and plaice), and pelagic species (e.g. sardines and herring). The volume of UK and Irish
wild catch commercial landings combined was 868,578 metric tons in 20212, which came from 7776 UK and Irish
commercial fishing vessels. Approximately 29,000 people are employed in the UK fish and seafood sector 3 (including
fishers and processors), with 15,300 employed in the Irish fishing industry4.
In 2023, there were 579 certified UK and Irish vessels listed as operating across 19 MSC certificates, which constituteapproximately 7.5% of the combined national fleet of these two countries. Total landings from UK and Irish MSC
certified fisheries are 174,744 metric tonnes (mt), which amounts to 20% of the national catch of these two nations andhave grown steadily since the first fishery became certified. Across the decade preceding 2021, the volume of MSC
certified catch within scope of this report grew by 300%, from 43,672 mt in 2011, to the 174,744 mt in 2021.

UK and Irish fishery landings by species group: MSC certified vs. total (mt)
1,400,000
1,200,000

Tonnes1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
02001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2010

2012

Years
UK/IRL total catch (FAO)

MSC Pelagics

MSC Shellfish

MSC Demersal

Figure 1: Historical UK and Irish landings by species group (MSC vs. total)

Source: FAO, FishStatj (2023)
Source: House of Commons Library, UK Fisheries Statistics (2022)
4
Source: BIM, Facts and Figures: A Seafood Snapshot (2022)
2

3

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019 2020

2021

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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UK and Irish fishery landings: MSC certified proportion of total catch

4%
7%
80%

20%
9%

Non-certified total (FAO)

MSC Certified Demersal (inc. shrimp/prawn)

MSC Certified Total

MSC Certified Shellfish (excl. shrimp/prawn)

MSC Certified Pelagics

Figure 2: 2022 proportion of UK and Ireland certified landings by species group

It is important to note that whilst the current volume of MSC certified catch in the UK and Ireland is currently 20% of thetotal overall catch, key fisheries have lost their certification that would have, if they remained certified and thus in
scope of this report, contributed towards a much greater proportion of the UK and Irish catch being certified sustainable.
Northeast Atlantic mackerel lost its MSC status in 2019, owing to the failure of the relevant Coastal States and Fishing
Parties on that stock to agree fishing quota allocations within the scientific recommended limits. North Sea cod lost its
MSC certification, also in 2019, after the stock fell below the safe biological level. Both fisheries have since entered
Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) which aim to directly resolve or advocate for resolution of the issues these fisheries
face. Had both fisheries remained certified and in the MSC programme, the figure for the proportion of certified MSC
catch vs. the total for the UK and Ireland, would have been close to 58%.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Political Developments: EU Exit
On June 23, 2016, the British public voted in favour of becoming the first member state to leave the European Union(EU). The implications of this decision are broad and wide-ranging, impacting many sectors and industries, but the
impact of EU Exit on fisheries is of particular interest. This is because EU centralisation of fisheries policy was afrequently cited argument in favour of leaving the EU. UK fishers overwhelmingly supported leaving the EU, with onepoll in the run-up to the referendum showing 92% of fishers in favour of leaving the EU5.
Following the confirmed departure from the Union, the resulting EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) cameinto force in 2021 and provides a basis for the overarching relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom6. This
includes trade agreements and fisheries management. Through the TCA, the UK and EU have committed to ensuringthat fishing for shared stocks is sustainable in the long term, by restoring populations of harvested species abovebiomass levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The UK and EU will follow several principles
aimed at ensuring long-term environmental sustainability, such as applying the precautionary approach to fisheries
management, basing decisions on the best available scientific advice, and taking measures to ensure selectivity andavoidance of bycatch.
The TCA also sets out the allocation of quota between the EU and UK. Initial Brexit negotiations considered allocating
quota based on zonal attachment, which would significantly increase the UK portion of shared stocks. However, by thetime an agreement was reached, the actual increase represented a transfer of 25% (by value) of the EU’s fishing rights
back to the UK by June 2026, the equivalent of about £145 million per year 7. Some species saw very large quota
increases, such as Atlantic mackerel, North Sea herring, and Norway pout. The new quota shares, which are phased infrom 2021 to 2025, increase the UK share for 63 of the 105 quotas in the agreement (and decrease for one quota, Celtic
Sea saithe). The quota shares achieved for the UK through the TCA fall far short of zonal attachment estimates,(achieving 68% by weight and by value - a potential shortfall of 229,000 tonnes / £281 million)8. National Federationof Fisherman’s Organisation (NFFO) analysis, published in September 2021, argues that £58 million is “paper fish” dueto a lack of full quota uptake, and that much of the UK fleet incur losses as a result, rather than gains9.
Since the UK left the EU, there has been a decline in exports10 due to, amongst other effects, new trade barriers resulting
from leaving the EU trade zone, resulting in a substantial impact on prices (up to 80% for some species), because ofbeing unable to deliver to the EU market. There have been regular reports of increased administrative requirements,
such as food safety checks, catch certificates, and veterinary checks for exports, leading to costly delays11.
To support the fishing industry and wider sector, the UK Government launched the UK Seafood Fund in 201912. The UK
Seafood Fund is a £100 million fund set up to support the long term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries andseafood sector. The fund is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and split into
four areas of funding: science and innovation, infrastructure, skills and training and exports support. The Fisheries
and Seafood Scheme (FASS)13 provides financial assistance for projects that support the development of the catching,processing and aquaculture sectors, and for projects that enhance the marine environment and is available toapplicants whose organisation and/or vessels are registered in England. The scheme provides funding for a range of
projects that deliver the following high-level outcomes: creating a more sustainable and resilient sector, boosting thedemand for English seafood and accessing new markets, improving participation through co-design and comanagement, achieving good environmental status through the conservation and restoration of the marine environmentand supporting net zero through reducing emissions within the industry.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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In 2020 the new Fisheries Act14 gained Royal Assent, establishing a new regulatory framework that gives the UK fullcontrol of its fishing waters for the first time snce 1973. The Fisheries Act provides a legally binding structure to protect
and recover fish stocks, support a sustainable fishing industry, and safeguard the environment. In 2022 the UK
devolved administrations published a Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS)15 , which arises from a legal requirement in the
Fisheries Act.
The JFS sets out the policies for achieving the eight fisheries objectives set out in the Fisheries Act. It sets out theambition of the UK to continue delivering world class, sustainable management of fisheries in line with those objectives,and how it will do so. This includes the delivery of Fishery Management Plans (FMP) to set out the policies to secure thelong-term sustainability of our fish stocks for current and future generations. Six frontrunner FMPs are underway forpriority fisheries and have been drafted through co-management groups. These FMPs are out to public consultation insummer 2023, ready for publication by the end of 2023. A suite of Scottish FMPs are also expected to be published for
consultation in 2024. FMPs provide a unique opportunity to deliver best practice fisheries management across UK
fisheries.

Source: University of Aberdeen, Survey finds 92 per cent of UK fishermen will vote to leave the EU (2016)
Source: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Trade and Cooperation Agreement (2021)
7
Source: APPG, The Brexit Deal: How it affects fisheries (2021)
8
Source: Maritime Studies, The Brexit deal and UK fisheries—has reality matched the rhetoric? (2022)
9
Source: NFFO, Brexit Balance Sheet (2021)
10
Source: MMO, UK Sea Fisheries Statistics (2021)
11
Source: BBC, EU shellfish import ban indefinite, UK fishing industry told (2021)
12
Source: Defra, UK Seafood Fund (2021)
13
Source: UK Government, Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (2022)
14
Source: UK Parliament, Fisheries Act (2020)15
Source: UK Devolved Administrations, Joint Fisheries Statement (2022)
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What is a ‘Fishery’ at MSC?
To determine whether a fish has been caught sustainably, it is necessary to look not only at the species being targeted,but also at where and how it was caught. A certified ‘fishery’ is therefore always a combination of those factors, whichmeans that, for example, herring is not itself certified as a whole species, but can only carry the blue MSC ecolabel if
it is fished in the defined location and with the approved gear, by a vessel belonging to an MSC certificate. A fisherycan consist of a small group of local fishers, or be a large international collaboration, as long as there is joint
management of the fishery.
Being part of an MSC certificate means that the fishery may land MSC certified fish, so long as it has been caught
according to the rules of that certificate. Once landed, MSC’s Chain of Custody Standard ensures that there is no mixingof certified and non-certified catches throughout the supply chain.
For the purpose of this report, a fishery is defined by the certificate scope of the UK or Irish fishery, and so may containmultiple species or gear types. Only those fisheries that are currently certified have been considered in the analysis ofprogress, so any fisheries that were previously certified and are either currently suspended, in assessment, or are now
withdrawn from the programme altogether, are out of scope.
When a fishery is assessed against the standard it is considered as a unit, that is comprised of these factors that define thefishery. Should the unit, or fishery, pass it’s MSC assessment, it then becomes a Unit of Certification, or UoC.

The Unit of Assessment

OTHER ELIGIBLE FISHERSOTHER ELIGIBLE FISHERSOTHER ELIGIBLE FISHERS

Vessels within the
Unit of Certification

Target stock

Other eligible fishers who
fish on the same stock

Environmental impacts consideredby the assessment teamFigure 3: The Marine Stewardship Council’s ‘Unit of Assessment’MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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MSC Certified UK and Irish Fisheries
The following page lists the 19 MSC certified UK and Irish fisheries included within the scope of this report, as of May
2023, which target 18 different species. The annex contains more information on each fishery certificate. Full details,
including their certification reports, can be found on the MSC’s Track-a-Fishery page, along with other relevant
information (e.g. vessel lists) provided by the independent auditors. The MSC UK & Irish Fisheries Spotlight pages also
provide further relevant information on the fisheries.
The updated version of the MSC Standard became mandatory for new fisheries entering the programme in May 2023,
but at the point of writing this report, all UK and Irish fisheries were certified against Version 2.0 of the standard or
earlier versions.

MSC DEMERSAL (incl. shrimp/prawn)
Cornish hake gill net
SFSAG Northern Demersal Stocks
UK Fisheries Ltd/DFFU/Doggerbank Northeast Arctic cod, haddock and saithe
UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe
Wash Brown Shrimp
Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG) Rockall haddock

MSC Pelagics
Cornwall sardine, UK
Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group (NIPSG) Irish Sea herring
Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group(NIPSG) North Sea herring
PFA, SPSG, SPFPO, DFPO and DPPO North Sea Herring

MSC Shellfish (excl. shrimp/prawn)
Dee Estuary and Burry Inlet cockles
Normandy and Jersey lobster
Shetland & Scottish Mainland Rope Grown mussel Enhanced Fishery
SSMO Shetland inshore brown crab and scallop
Thames cockle dredge
The Poole Harbour Clam & Cockle Fishery
Ireland Bottom Grown mussel
Ireland Rope Grown mussel
Northern Ireland Bottom Grown mussel

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Fishing Grounds and Marine Life
UK and Irish fisheries operate in some highly biodiverse marine environments, making sustainable fishing practices
absolutely critical. Principle 2 of the MSC Standard requires fisheries to demonstrate that they are minimising theirenvironmental impacts. Fishing operations should be managed to maintain the structure, productivity, function, anddiversity of the ecosystem on which the fishery depends, including other species and habitats.
Version 2.0 of the MSC Standard contains five components in Principle 2, which are intended to cover the range ofpotential ecosystem elements that may be impacted by a fishery. These are: Primary species, Secondary species,
Endangered Threatened and Protected species, Habitats, and Ecosystems.
Each Principle 2 component is scored using three Performance Indicators (PIs): outcome, management, and information.
The outcome PIs assess the current status of each component and whether the fishery is posing a risk of serious or
irreversible harm to the component or hindering its recovery. The management PIs assess the arrangements in place tomanage the impact that the Unit of Assessment (UoA) has on the Principle 2 components (or, in the case of ETP, that
the UoA complies with any national or international requirements for protection of the species). The information PIs
assess the adequacy of information available to support the management strategy.
Spatial management is a common approach to mitigating the impact of fisheries on the environment. The UK government
has committed to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030, known as ‘30by30’. The UK’s comprehensive
network of 374 MPAs protecting over 38% of UK waters will be a valuable contribution to this global target16. The Marine
Management Organisation (MMO) is the government’s principal regulator for most activities in English waters, and theFisheries Act 2020 introduced new powers for the MMO to make byelaws to manage fishing for the conservation ofmarine flora, fauna, and habitats. The MMO is using these new powers to introduce fisheries management to protect
41 offshore MPAs and 10 inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by the end of 202417.
The map below illustrates the network of MPAs, Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and Special Areas of Conservation(SACs) that protect many of these areas, as well as noteworthy ecological features. MSC certified fisheries operatingin the UK and Ireland have taken many steps to ensure they are not harming these ecosystems, some examples ofwhich are mentioned in this report. The section below details some of the important species and habitats of the region
but is by no means a comprehensive list.
In addition to the legislative process for MPAs, MSC certified fisheries in the UK have also introduced voluntary closed
areas. For example, the Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG) implemented a voluntary closure
to protect all known records of Funiculina (a tall, narrow sea pen) in the Fladen Ground area. This closure was announced
in May 2017 and continues to be monitored by Marine Scotland using Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data and alerts.
Another example is the West Shetland Shelf area (aka ‘Windsock’), where there are no legislated management measuresin place. A voluntary agreement has been actioned between the mobile gear sector and their counterparts in the staticgear sector. This voluntary agreement comprises: areas of exclusive use for both mobile and static gears, an area of
shared access subject to communication at the vessel level, increased VMS pings from vessels operating within close
proximity to the MPA (10 miles) and ring-fenced monitoring by Marine Scotland Compliance of the area currently
designated as creel only.

Source: Defra, UK takes further action to protect vital marine habitats (2023)
Source: MMO, Managing fishing in marine protected areas (2014)

16
17

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

UK and Irish MSC Certified Fishery locations

14

15
10

11
9

8

7

6
19

5

17

18
1

3
3

12

16

13
2

4

Figure 4: Map of MSC fisheries in the UK and Ireland

Approximate location of MSC certified fisheries

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Cornish hake gill net
Cornwall sardine, UK
Dee Estuary and Burry Inlet cockles
Normandy and Jersey lobster
Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group(NIPSG) Irish Sea herring
6. Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group(NIPSG) North Sea herring
7. PFA, SPSG, SPFPO, DFPO and DPPO North
Sea herring
8. SFSAG Rockall haddock
9. SFSAG Northern demersal stocks
10. Shetland & Scottish mainland rope grownmussel enhanced fishery
11. SSMO Shetland inshore brown crab andscallop
12. Thames cockle dredge
13. The Poole Harbour clam & cockle fishery
14. UK Fisheries Ltd/DFFU/Doggerbank
Northeast Artic cod, haddock and saithe
15. UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe
16. Wash brown shrimp
17. Ireland bottom grown mussel
18. Ireland rope grown mussel
19. Northern Ireland bottom grown mussel

12

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Areas of ecological interest in the UK and Ireland

3

2
9

10

5

6

7

1

8

4

Figure 5: Map of ecological places of interest

Approximate location of places of
ecological interest
UK/IRL (Special Protected Areas)
SPAs
UK/IRL Special Areas of Conservation(SACs)UK Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

1. Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
2. The Sound of Canna (the largest aggregationof fan mussels in the UK)
3. St. Kilda
4. Lyme Bay
5. Broadhaven Bay
6. The Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve
7. Port Erin Closed Area
8. Dogger Bank
9. Rathlin Island
10. Farne Island (Northumberland coast’s grey
seal colony)

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MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

1.

The Plymouth Sound National Marine Park plans to be the UK’s first marine park; a declaration of intent
has been signed and a £75,000 grant awarded by the MMO for a feasibility study. It will not result in new
restrictions for water users, however, as the area already contains designations for SAC, SPA, Marine
Conservation Zones (MSZ), as well as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and three Areas of Outstanding
Natural Beauty. It is a natural harbour home to over 1000 unique marine species18.

2.

The Sound of Canna is home to the largest aggregation of fan mussels in the UK. The fan mussel is therarest species of marine mollusc in Britain and Northern Europe and the only species of the family Pinnidae
found in British waters. It’s also one of the largest species of bivalve molluscs in Europe, ranging from 30
to 48 cm wide19.

3.

St. Kilda is the name of a Scottish island archipelago that became Scotland’s first UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1986. In 2004, the site was expanded to include much of the surrounding marine features, and it’sa National Nature Reserve and lies within a Special Protected Area. It’s also perhaps Europe’s mostimportant seabird colony, home to nearly one million seabirds and Britain’s most important Atlantic puffincolony.

4.

Lyme Bay, which is partly in Dorset, partly in Devon, is part of one of Britain’s only natural World Heritage
Sites, the Jurassic Coast. Below the tide mark, Lyme Bay reefs are the country’s largest marine protected
area, which covers over 310 sq km of seabed. The MPA supports over 500 different marine species andprotects places like rocky and stony reefs as well as vast fields of seafans, rare corals and abundant fishand shellfish populations20.

5.

Ireland’s Broadhaven Bay was designated as a Special Area of Conservation in 2000 by the National Parks
and Wildlife Service. It provides an important habitat to many different species, including breeding
grounds for many bird species, and five species listed on Annex II of the Habitats Directive are known tovisit its waters: the common bottlenose dolphin, the harbour porpoise, the grey seal, the harbour/common
seal, and the European otter.

6.

The Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve was the Isle of Man’s first Marine Natural Reserve. It protects horse
mussel reefs, seagrass beds, and maerl beds21, which provide the habitat for many marine species of
ecological importance.

7.

The Port Erin Closed Area was the first of the Isle of Man’s Restricted Areas, having been established in
1989. It has been recognized worldwide for its success, as far greater numbers of scallops are found there
than in other parts of the island and the area saw a large increase in the size of scallops as well22.

8.

The Dogger Bank is the largest sandbank in UK waters and extends into both Dutch and German waters. It
is home to a variety of species which live both on and within the sandy sediment. The Dogger Bank MPA
overlaps with a SAC that has been identified for the protection of harbour porpoise – the Southern North
Sea SAC. In June 2022, a byelaw came into force to protect the area from the impacts of bottom towed
fishing gear 23.

9.

Rathlin Island is Northern Ireland’s northernmost point and a SAC and home to tens of thousands ofseabirds. Many new species of anemones were discovered there24 , and the fan mussel, the rarest ofEuropean mollusc species, was found as well.

14

10. The Farne Islands are home to one of the UK’s largest grey seal breeding colonies, with 2.5% of British pup
production coming from this beautiful area off the Northumberland Coast.
In May 2023, The UK Government announced three newly designated Highly Protected Marine Area sites25: Allonby Bay, North
East of Farnes Deep and Dolphin Head. These designations in English waters came into force on 5 July 2023.
In line with the UK Government’s 25 Environment Plan, Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are areas of the sea (including
the shoreline) that allow the protection and full recovery of marine ecosystems. By setting aside some areas of sea with highlevels of protection, HPMAs allow nature to fully recover to a more natural state, allowing the ecosystem to thrive.
Source: Plymouth Council, Plymouth Sound National Marine Park (2023)
Source: The Marlin Life Information Network, Fan mussel (Atrina fragilis) (2022)
20
Source: Dorset MPAs, Lyme Bay Reefs (2023)
21
Source: National Parks & Wildlife Service, Blacksod Bay/Broad Haven Special Protection Area (2014)22
Source: Beukers-Stewart et al., Benefits of closed area protection for a population of scallops (2005)
23
Source: MMO, The Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation (Specified Area) Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw (2022)
24
Source: JNCC, Rathlin Island (2023)
25
Source: UK Government, Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) (2023)

18
19

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MSC Fisheries Standard v2.0
The MSC Fisheries Standard was developed based on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. It was developed in consultation with a range of stakeholders across theglobe, including government, academics, researchers, fishing industry, NGOs, and the private and fishing sectors. The
Fisheries Standard is made up of three principles:
Principle 1 Sustainability of the stock: Fisheries must operate in a way that allows fishing to continue indefinitely,
without overexploiting the resource
Principle 2 Ecosystem impacts: Fishing operations need to be managed to maintain the structure, productivity,
function and diversity of the ecosystem upon which the fishery depends, including other species and habitats
Principle 3 Effective management: All fisheries need to meet all local, national and international laws and have aneffective management system in place

The MSC Principles

P3

P1

P2

P1

Principle 1
Sustainability of the stock

P2

Principle 2
Ecosystem impacts

P3

Principle 3
Effective management

Figure 6: The three Principles of the MSC Fisheries Standard

Each principle is further broken down into a set of Performance Indicators (PIs). Fisheries are assessed and scoredagainst each of these PIs by an independent auditor (also known as Conformity and Assessment Bodies, or CABs) todetermine how the fishery performs overall against the MSC Fisheries Standard.
To guide independent auditors in scoring fisheries, each PI is further broken down into one or more scoring issues. The
performance required to reach a score of 60 (minimum acceptable level), 80 (global best practice) or 100 (near perfectperformance) is defined in a set of scoring guideposts. CABs will determine the performance of a fishery against the
MSC Fisheries Standard based on whether or not they meet each of the numeric Performance Indicator scoring
guideposts, with clear rationales being provided at each point.

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Each principle is further broken down into a set of Performance Indicators (PIs). Fisheries are assessed and scoredagainst each of these PIs by an independent auditor (also known as Conformity and Assessment Bodies, or CABs) todetermine how the fishery performs overall against the MSC Fisheries Standard. There are 28 performance indicatorsthat sit under the three principles of the MSC Fisheries Standard (Version 2.0).

MSC Principles and Performance Indicators

PRINCIPLE 1
Stock

OutcomeHarvest strategy
Management

Stock status
1.1.1

HarvestStrategy
1.2.1

Stock rebuilding
1.1.2
Genetic outcome
1.1.3

Harvest Ctrl
rules and tools
1.2.2
Information/
monitoring
1.2.3
Assessment ofstock status
1.2.4

PRINCIPLE 2
Environment

PRINCIPLE 3
Fishery Management

Primary
species

ETP species

Ecosystem

Outcome2.1.1

Outcome
2.3.1

Outcome
2.5.1

Mgmt.
2.1.2

Mgmt.
2.3.2

Mgmt.
2.5.2

Info.
2.1.3

Info.
2.3.3

Info.
2.5.3

Secondaryspecies

Habitats

Outcome2.2.1

Outcome
2.4.1

Mgmt.
2.2.2

Mgmt.
2.4.2

Info.
2.2.3

Info.
2.4.3

Governanceand policy

Fishery Mgmt.
systemLegal/customary
framework
3.1.1

Legal/customary
framework
3.2.1

Consultation, roles
and responsibilties
3.1.2

Decision-making
processes
3.2.2

Long-term
objectives
3.1.3

Compliance andenforcement
3.2.3
Monitoring/
management
performance
3.2.4

Figure 7: The three Principles and 28 Performance Indicators of the MSC Fisheries Standard

A fishery will be assigned a score for each performance indicator, where 60 is the minimum acceptable level, 80 is
global best practice and 100 is near perfect performance.
To become certified, a fishery must score at least 60 for each of the 28 performance indicators and achieve an averageof at least 80 for each of the three principles. If the fishery scores between 60 and 79 for any performance indicator,
they will be required to take appropriate action as a condition of certification. This action needs to improve theperformance of the fishery so that it scores 80 or above for that indicator. The timeframe to make these improvements
is typically five years or less.

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Scoring of MSC Performance Indicators (PIs)
State of the art: 100

Best practice: 80

Minimum
acceptable: 60

Performance indicator passwith no conditions
Performance indicator passwith conditions

Fail

Figure 8: Marine Stewardship Council approach to scoring performance

For example, if more research/evidence is needed on the status of a specific species, impacts of a gear type or fishedhabitat range, a condition may be applied. Such conditions mean that the fishery is conditionally certified and isrequired to draw up an action plan to be implemented in the following years, which address these conditions. Progress
is checked every year in a ‘surveillance audit’. These conditions are what drive further improvements and direct impacts
on the water.
All assessments and checks are carried out by independent, accredited parties called Conformity Assessment Bodies(CAB). This means that MSC is not involved in the audits and decision making. MSC does have the option of performing
Technical Oversight, to ensure that the auditors have correctly interpreted and applied the Standard. You can read more
about this in the section: Stakeholder input.

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The MSC Assessment Process
All MSC certified fisheries must be audited every year after their initial assessment, this is known as ‘surveillance
auditing’. At the end of the five-year certification cycle, if the fishery wishes to stay in the programme for another fiveyear cycle, it must go through the reassessment process. The assessment’s results are posted on the MSC’s Track-aFishery page.

The MSC Assessment Process

Pre-assessment(optional)

Assessment

Certification

Annual audits

Reassessment
Figure 9: The MSC fisheries assessment and reassessment process

Since the Burry Inlet cockle fishery became certified in 2001, 139 reports have been published on the UK and Irish
fisheries included within the scope of this State of the Water Report (fisheries that are currently certified). These
consist of:21

initialassessments

96

annualsurveillance
audits3

expedited
audits2

scopeextensions

22

reassessments

With thousands of pages of resulting audit reporting, data, and evidence, this constitutes an overwhelming amount ofdata and information on UK and Irish fisheries performance and improvement that would otherwise unlikely be
documented, without engagement with the MSC programme.

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Improving High Performance
Of the currently certified fisheries in the UK and Ireland, nine have completed two full assessment cycles and have, asa result, been in the MSC programme for over ten years. Since joining the programme, these fisheries have taken
actions that have resulted in a markedly improved performance.
The figure below displays a comparison of average Principle scores for these nine long standing fisheries. The averagescores for Principles 1 and 3 were both comfortably above 90 by the end of the second assessment cycle, and thePrinciple 2 average was very close (88.9). While the performance of these fisheries with regards to sustainability was
already commendable, over time, they have improved to a higher level altogether. The increase of average Principle 2scores by 2.4% is a particularly welcome development, because most of the conditions (as well as most of the stakeholder
comments) are in relation to Principle 2 Performance Indicators, demonstrating that improvements are being made inareas identified through the MSC process. This is encouraging when considering the 27 Principle 2 conditions currently
open on all UK/IRL fisheries. While assigning causality would be difficult, it is reassuring to see that where conditions are
identified through the MSC process, progress towards improving the sustainability of the fishery is documented
throughout the MSC reports published on MSC’s Track-a-Fishery site. In short, these fisheries have much to be proud ofregarding the significant progress they have made over the course of their MSC journeys so far.

Scoring: Initial Assessment vs. 1st Re-Assessment
100
98
96

Average PI Scores

94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80

Stock health(Principle 1)
Initial Assessment

Ecosystem impacts(Principle 2)

Managements(Principle 3)

Principles

1st Re-Assessment

Figure 10: Changes in Principle scores between assessment cycles*During the 1st re-assessment cycle of the Shetland & Scottish Mainland Rope Grown Mussel Enhanced Fishery, theassessors determined the fishery did not need to be scored according to Principle 1; thus, P1 was scored here as 100.

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Conditions in UK and Irish Fisheries
A fishery that achieves MSC certification is sustainable. However, no fishery is perfect, and there are very often
individual performance indicators in which a fishery can and is required to, improve. Provided the fishery has an
overall high level of sustainability and meets minimum requirements in all areas, it can be certified with conditions.
These are time-bound actions for the fishery to deliver to improve its sustainability. In this way, certified fisheries are
required to constantly improve to reach global best practice levels of sustainability (see text box on pg. 19).
MSC certified fisheries in the UK and Ireland have closed many conditions over the past years; however, because thestructure of the MSC scoring system has changed since fisheries first achieved certification, it is not possible toundertake a like-for-like comparison between the earliest conditions given and those assigned in recent years. The
following graphs and charts do not, therefore, include any conditions closed prior to the release of Version 2.0 of the
MSC Standard. Prior to this however, 26 unique conditions were closed, and 3 were re-written to align with the newversion of the MSC Standard. Since then, 186 unique conditions have been issued to UK and Irish fisheries in the
programme, that are featured in this report. While eight of those conditions were either withdrawn, rewritten, or waived
due to exceptional circumstances, 120 of these conditions have since been closed (71% if the aforementioned eight
conditions are excluded).

Number of closed conditions per year
30
25
20
15
10

Figure 11: Closed conditions over time in MSC certified fisheries in the UK and Ireland

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

0

2001

5

21

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Number of closed conditions per fishery
SFSAG Northern Demersal Stocks
SPSG Ltd North Sea herring
SSMO Shetland inshore brown crab and scallop
UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Northeast Arctic
Cornwall sardine fisheryNorthern Ireland Bottom Grown mussel
Ireland Bottom Grown mussel
Normandy and Jersey lobster
Burry Inlet cockles
Shetland & Scottish Mainland Rope Grown mussel
Cornish hake gill net
UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe
Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group (NIPSG)
Wash Brown Shrimp
The Poole Harbour Clam & Cockle Fishery
SFSAG Rockall Haddock
0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Figure 12: Closed conditions per fishery

The figure below shows the number of closed conditions for currently certified fisheries since they gained MSC
certification. This demonstrates that the requirement to improve Performance Indicator scores (that are between 6079) in the MSC Standard has led to significant improvements in the sustainability of fisheries across the UK, and thus
the knock-on effect of delivering positive environmental impacts through certification. This report will go on to break
down how these gaps in performance have been identified and how fisheries have made the required improvements,
including examples of how UK MSC certified fisheries are demonstrating best practice. Below the graph shows the
distribution of closed conditions according to species breakdown.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Number of closed conditions per species
Herring
HaddockBlue mussel
Saithe (=Pollock)Atlantic cod
European pilchard (=Sardine)
European lobster
Great Atlantic scallop
CockleWhiting
Mussels
European hake
Brown crab
Japanese carpet shell
Common shrimp
0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Figure 13: Closed conditions per species

It should be noted that the cataloguing and counting of conditions for the purposes of this report captures multiple
conditions across any relevant Units of Assessment within a single certified fishery. Therefore, a single certificate may
close more than one condition as a result of one successful completed action, should the condition apply to multiple
UoAs within that certificate.

Closed conditions by gear typeTrawlsSeinesBoat dredges
Traps
MiscellaneousGillnets / lifnets and entangling nets
(includes drift and trammel
Rope/net - mussel cultivation
0
Figure 14: Closed conditions by gear type

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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The UK and Irish fisheries that still possess the remaining 58 conditions are currently working on implementing theiraction plans, to maintain their MSC certificates into the next assessment cycle. The following graph shows the distributionof these conditions per Principle including those that have already been closed.

Number of open/closed conditions per MSC Principle
120

28%

Number of conditions

100
80
60

72%

41%

40
20

59%

0

Stock health(Principle 1)

23%
77%

Ecosystem impacts(Principle 2)

Management(Principle 3)

Open
ClosedFigure 15: Number of open and closed conditions In MSC certified UK and Irish Fisheries

Of the 178 conditions identified (excluding the eight that were either withdrawn, rewritten, or waived), 58% have beenplaced against Principle 2 Performance Indicators (environmental impacts). 70% of these have now been closed. Thismeans that the UK and Irish fisheries in the MSC programme have made many improvements (72) to mitigate theirimpact on the environment (Principle 2). The remaining conditions have been shared somewhat evenly between
Principle 1 (stock status) and Principle 3 (management) (24% and 18%, respectively).

Conditions to improve stock status (Principle 1)
To maintain healthy fish stocks and productivity, fish populations need to be carefully managed and harvested.
Principle 1 of the MSC Standard considers the state of the target (the species being fished) stock, as well as theapproach taken to controlling fishing pressure and ensure that no individual part of the stock becomes depleted. Thisrequires a significant amount of data to inform stock assessments and monitor fishing pressure, as well as a commitment
from fisheries managers to design and implement rules that protect the stock if the biomass begins to fall. There havebeen a total of 43 conditions raised on Principle 1 performance indicators:
Stock status: two closed conditions
Stock rebuilding: two closed and five open conditions on 1.1.2, (one open condition on 1.1.4 pre V2.0)
Harvest strategy: three closed conditions, three open, and one rewritten
Harvest control rules: 12 closed conditions, six open, two rewritten, and one withdrawn condition
Information and monitoring: one closed condition
Assessment of stocks: two open and four closed conditions

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Number of conditions per Principle 1 - Performance Indicator

Number of conditions

25
20
15
10
5
0

1.1.1

Open
Closed

1.1.2

1.1.4

1.2.1

1.2.2

1.2.2

1.2.4

Rewritten/withdrawn
waivedFigure 16: Number of closed, open, and rewritten/withdrawn/waived Principle 1 conditions

This demonstrates how the MSC process has identified gaps in target stock data and management, and enabledfisheries to set out a plan to improve these aspects and further secure the sustainability of the fishery into the future.
Not only has data on the fisheries increased, but it enables fishery managers to determine the best approach to manage
the stock, that balances the socioeconomic interests of the fishing community with the health of the stock itself.
The MSC Standard aims to be accessible to all fisheries, and so the MSC’s Risk Based Framework (RBF) was designed
to support data limited fisheries to enter the programme and commit to improve data on the stocks. The RBF toolkit
takes a precautionary approach to scoring the stock status, based on the life history and available catch and landings
data. The fishery must still score >80 on average for Principle 1, but will attract a condition to ensure they implement adata collection programme and work towards delivering a full stock assessment during the five year duration of thecertificate. An example of this is the Cornish sardine fishery, which entered the MSC programme in 2010 using RBF due
to the small scale of the fishery and the lack of information on stock status. The fishery has maintained its certification
since initially entering the programme, using the structure of the MSC Standard to support the development of an
appropriate stock assessment to inform the use of harvest control rules that are responsive to stock status.
If a fishery does not score >80 on stock status then it triggers the use of an additional performance indicator on stock
rebuilding. Fisheries with a condition for stock rebuilding must demonstrate that they have a plan in place that will
increase the biomass of the fishery to a point where it fluctuations around Maximum Sustainable Yield.
There are several examples of MSC certified fisheries that have experienced stock related issues and decline in thepast, including Cornish hake in the 1980s and 90s, North Sea Herring in the 1970s and the Cornish Sardine Fishery in
the 1990s also. Through addressing the problem of overfishing, rebuilding fish stocks and implementing effective
management measures, these fisheries are now thriving and excellent examples of the miraculous turnaround that canbe achieved through managing fish stocks sustainably. Aiming for, gaining and maintaining MSC certification, andcontinuing to manage the stock sustainably, enables a secure and safeguarded future for the health and productivityof UK and Irish fisheries.

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Conditions to improve environmental impacts (Principle 2)
The graph below examines the distribution of Principle 2 conditions across three categories:
Habitats and ecosystem (conditions related to the impact of the fishery on the benthic habitat or wider ecosystem)
Bycatch caught in the fishery (conditions related to efforts to reduce the non-targeted or unwanted component of
the catch, including primary species, secondary species and species caught and used for bait)
Endangered Threatened and Protected (ETP) species (conditions related to reducing interactions with ETP species,
such as the harbour porpoise)

Number of conditions per Principle 2 - Performance Indicator
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2.1.1

2.1.2

2.1.3

Open
Closed

2.2.1

2.2.2

2.2.3

2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

2.4.1

2.4.2

2.4.3

2.5.1

2.5.2

2.5.3

Rewritten/withdrawn
waivedFigure 17: Number of closed, open, and rewritten/withdrawn/waived Principle 2 conditions

Looking at the broad categorisation of condition, there is a higher concentration of conditions related to endangered,threatened and protected species (ETP), with 43%. Just over a third were allocated against habitats and ecosystems,with under a quarter focussed on bycatch and other species.

Focus of ecosystem impact (P2) conditions

34%

43%

Habitats and ecosystems
Bycatch and other species
ETP

23%
Figure 18: Breakdown of conditions against Principle 2 (environmental impacts) performance indicators

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When these broad categories are examined more closely by component (Primary, Secondary, ETP, habitat, ecosystem),higher concentrations are found in some more than others, especially within ETP and habitats:Primary species: 15 conditions (species in the catch that are within the scope of the programme but not covered
within Principle 1 because they are not included within the UoA)
Secondary species: 9 conditions (species in the catch that are within the scope of the programme but not covered
within Principle 1 because they are not included within the UoA and do not have management tools and measuresin place—including reference points—or species that are outside of the programme but not designated as ETP)
ETP: 44 conditions
Habitats: 30 conditions
Ecosystem: 5 conditions

Number of conditions against each Principle 2 - Components
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Primary
speciesSecondaryspecies

ETP

Habitats

Ecosystem

Principle 2 Subtype
Figure 19: Number of conditions against each Principle 2 component

When the conditions are analysed by gear type, trawl gear fisheries attract the largest number of conditions. In the UK
and Ireland, many certified fisheries operate trawl gear, which is partly responsible for the higher number of conditions.
There are currently 11 open conditions for trawl gear, and 62 closed conditions. Of these closed conditions, 39 are
related to Principle 2 improvements. Given the concerns raised in the media recently about the impact of trawl fisheries
on the environment, it is encouraging to see that trawl fisheries engaged in the MSC programme continue to mitigate
their environmental impacts and are committed to improving their wider sustainability performance. The chart below
shows the total number of closed conditions by gear type, and how many of these relate to Principle 2.

Principle 2 - Conditions by gear typeTrawlsClosedOpen

SeinesBoat dredges
Traps
Gillnets/Liftnets and entangling nets
Rope/net - mussel cultivation
Miscellaneous0
Figure 20: Principle 2 conditions per gear type

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Conditions to improve fisheries management (Principle 3)
The third pillar of the MSC Standard considers whether there is effective management in place across all aspects of thefishery to ensure improvements towards sustainability last into the future. A total of 32 conditions have been raised
against Principle 3 performance indicators:
Legal and customary framework: One condition withdrawn, and one not addressed
Consultation, roles and responsibilities: one closed condition
Fishery specific objectives: five closed conditions and one open
Decision making processes: eight closed conditions and one open
Compliance and enforcement: four open conditions (including one behind target)
Management performance evaluation: six closed conditions and one open and one open and four closed on 3.2.5.

Number of conditions per Principle 3 - Performance Indicator
10
8
6
4
2
0
3.1.1

3.1.2

Open

Closed

3.2.1

3.2.2

3.2.3

3.2.4

3.2.5

Rewritten/withdrawn waived

Figure 21: Number of closed, open, and rewritten/withdrawn/waived Principle 3 conditions

Given the current legislative landscape in the UK, and the development of new Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) inline with the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) and the Fisheries Act, it will be interesting to see how these policy processes
impact the scores and conditions against Principle 3 of the MSC Standard for UK fisheries. The development of FMPs
through co-management provides a unique opportunity to underwrite best practice in fisheries management acrossthe UK. Robust FMPs will enable UK fisheries to demonstrate state of the art management and to be considered globallyas leaders in sustainable fisheries management.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Case Studies: How Conditions Lead to

Change in, on and Around the Water
Discard monitoring

The UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe fishery was first certified in 2011 but with a condition placed on PI
2.3.1 (ETP species outcome) and PI 2.3.3 (ETP species information) for both the UK and DFFU (Deutsche Fischfang-Union
GmbH & Co. KG) members of the certificate. The common skate (Dipturus batis) has been listed as critically endangeredby the IUCN Red List since 2006. The independent auditors conducting this MSC assessment determined that more
information was required for the fishery to demonstrate that it was not negatively impacting the common skate
population. The fishery acted promptly, with the Farnella, the UK Fisheries Ltd vessel operating in this fishery,
undergoing a trial with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and the Marine
Management Organisation (MMO). The vessel was fitted with digital cameras, as was the factory where the fish issorted and processed, to record all species caught by the vessel and to monitor potential common skate landings. The
recordings were then saved to a hard drive, which was collected and reviewed by CEFAS. The camera’s images werealso displayed to the skipper on the bridge so that they could identify which species were being caught, enabling themto inform the crew of any species that were still alive and that should be returned to sea. Data sheets were kept thatrecorded the date, time, hauling position, catch retained onboard and the discarded catch. The condition on these PIs
was closed by the fourth surveillance audit in 2015.

Acoustic deterrents
The Cornish hake gill net fishery was first certified in 2015, and had a condition placed on PI 2.3.2 (ETP species
management). European Commission Regulation 812/2004 set out timelines for specific fisheries to take measuresdeterring cetaceans from fishing nets, as well as the monitoring of the catch by observers. Part of this regulation
mandated the use of acoustic “pingers” to deter cetaceans from fishing nets. However, full implementation of thisregulation had not yet occurred. This gap in implementation and the limited records of interactions meant that a study
conducted by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St. Andrews on the effectiveness of thepingers led to inconclusive results. The fishery acted swiftly to ensure that every one of its vessels was fitted with a
Dolphin Deterrent Device (DDD) (acoustic deterrent), to address their MSC condition. Its open-door policy for cetacean
observers also ensured a high level of monitoring, which consequently determined that cetacean bycatch levels in thefishery were minimal. Due to the uptake of pingers, subsequent SMRU research determined that acoustic deterrents
could reduce the bycatch level of the harbour porpoise by over 80% when used in hake gill nets. The condition was
thus deemed closed, and the fishery scored at best practice level against the MSC Standard, demonstrating how thecertification and condition process delivers improvement for the marine environment through credible research andimplementation of management.

Spatial management plan
When what was initially called the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO) Shetland inshore brown andvelvet crab, lobster and scallop fishery was first certified in 2012, it was assigned conditions on PIs 2.4.1 and 2.4.2(habitats outcome and management). If poorly managed, scallop dredging can cause harm to sensitive seabed habitats
and benthic ecosystems. The independent auditor determined that the habitats upon which this fishery operates are
not homogenous, and vulnerable habitats possibly remained unprotected. In addition, the results of the SSMO’s
research plan into this area hadn’t been incorporated into its management plan. Because of these factors, the auditors
determined that the closed areas implemented by SSMO did not sufficiently constitute a “partial strategy” nor a“robust, cohesive strategy,” and the condition was placed on the fishery.
SSMO implemented a host of measures to close this condition. The recording in logbooks was improved, and Vessel
Monitoring Systems (VMS) coverage among the fleet was expanded through a grant (regulation only required vessels
above 12m in length to have VMS systems, but SSMO had VMS installed on smaller vessels too). A review of closed
areas was performed through a new acoustic-based survey and, along with new information from surveys conductedby Herriot-Watt University, the spatial boundary of the closed areas was refined. By the third surveillance audit, SSMO
had presented evidence of how fishermen were avoiding an additional site to protect horse mussels and maerl, pending

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further survey and an expected closure of the area. Finally, VMS data was presented demonstrating that fishermen had
avoided the closed areas, proving that Spatial Management Plan was effective. The audit team then considered thecondition closed.

Spurdog avoidance programmeWithin EU waters spurdog have been protected from fishing activity as a “prohibited species” since 2015 and must be
returned to the sea promptly if accidentally caught. Vessels in the Cornish hake fishery have been participating in a
spurdog bycatch avoidance programme, where retention of dead spurdog in the catch is permitted under a derogationfrom the EU prohibition on landing this species, to obtain information about the status of the spurdog stock. A reporton the findings of the spurdog bycatch avoidance programme has been published (Hetherington et al. 2018). This
study has demonstrated that the use of real-time spurdog catch data from the fishery, to identify areas where there isa high risk of spurdog bycatch, coupled with a derogation to allow a limited quantity of dead bycatch to be landed,
provides a viable management option and an alternative to the prohibition set out in the annual Total Allowable Catch(TAC) regulation. The scope of this programme has also included studies of spurdog movements and distribution using
data storage tags; analysis of post-capture vitality of spurdog using different fishing métiers; and improved
communication between scientists, managers and fishers that has developed a better understanding of fishingpractices and has helped to ensure that the handling of live spurdog which are returned to the sea optimises theirsurvival.
A new code of conduct has been developed and implemented to promote best practice in the return of live spurdog tothe sea. One of the objectives of this study was to determine whether the self-reporting of spurdog bycatch by fishingvessels was likely to accurately reflect their actual catch, by comparing data gathered on observer trips with datareported by the vessel as well as with unobserved trips. The CEFAS conclusion was that there was good concurrence
between the data provided by observers and by fishing vessels. This programme has been so successful that spurdog
stocks have rebounded and it has been removed from the prohibited species list.

ETP reporting
In 2018, the Poole Harbour Clam and Cockle fishery was the first fishery in Dorset to receive MSC certification.
Certification was achieved through building positive relationships between fisheries and conservation stakeholders,and in 2021 the ‘Poole Harbour Clam and Cockle Fishery Partnership Project’ was formed to deliver the fishery’s
conditions of certification. As a recipient of the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) grant, the project pioneered
innovative work to improve the endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) management outcomes of the fishery, byincreasing awareness of ETP species, and creating a model of best practice for MSC fisheries in managing ETP
interactions.
Completed in 2022, the project successfully delivered training and educational materials to fishers and the wider
public on identifying ETP species and demonstrated a co-management model of fisheries and conservation within a
Marine Protected Area (MPA). Outputs of the project include a waterproof identification guide for ETP species,
supporting an observer programme to provide quality assurance to fishery-dependent data and producing a Risk
Management Strategy for ETP species management. Interpretation boards with photos of the ETP species were put up
at the main port, so awareness was also raised within the public. These resources are directly relevant to other fisheries
striving to improve their sustainability outcomes, and the findings are already being shared with the MSC certified
Wash Brown shrimp fishery to support them in progressing their ETP conditions, as well as with other Inshore Fisheries
and Conservation Authorities (IFCAS) who might benefit from implementing similar initiatives in their own regions.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

30

Continued Improvement Built In
Through the condition-setting mechanism, the MSC programme is designed to deliver continuous improvement within
fisheries. Scores can change and conditions can be added or closed out during annual surveillance audits, according
to scoring and performance against actions plans. Fisheries can also be subject to ‘expedited audits’, triggered when
new information or research shows a previously unknown or revised impact within an MSC fishery which is likely tosignificantly affect scoring outcomes.
MSC’s programme criteria (such as the Fisheries Standard) are regularly modified and where appropriate, improved. In
accordance with ISEAL (who define credible practice for sustainability systems) procedures, a thorough review of
MSC’s Fisheries Standard takes place every five years, to ensure that the standard remains reflective of the latest
scientific, policy developments and widely adopted best practice in fishing (read more about the most recent Fisheries
Standard Review here). Each revision consists of multiple rounds of public consultations with engaged stakeholders:fishing industry, retail and supply chain companies, scientists, NGOs, governments and other interested parties.
Through this process, ambiguity in the requirements can be removed, and where appropriate, performance indicators
redefined against changes in global best practice. As a result of an evolution of criteria within the MSC Fisheries
Standard, certified fisheries will need to maintain pace with the evolution of global best practice.
One of the challenges is to keep the MSC programme accessible to fisheries around the world, not just to large scale
fisheries. In May 2023, in addition to the provision of many pre-MSC assessment tools and support initiatives, MSC
expanded the scope of its In Transition to MSC (ITM) programme, providing added encouragement and assurance tofisheries improving their practices to meet the MSC Standard. The MSC has also launched its own Ocean Stewardship
Fund (OSF), designed to further those fisheries aspiring to align to MSC’s performance values.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

31

The Ocean Stewardship Fund:
Supporting fisheries at all stages of their sustainability journey
In 2018, the MSC launched the Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) to support fisheries on their pathway to sustainability
and to invest in new scientific research. Five percent of annual royalties from MSC certified product sales are allocatedto the fund, which has continued to expand in scope and scale every year since its inception. In 2022, the fund opened
to third-party donations and in April 2023, MSC announced it was aiming to raise US$100 million in the next decade toaccelerate progress in sustainable fishing globally.
Five strands of funding are available under the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund, including Student Research Grants, a
Science and Research Fund, Innovation Fund, Recertification Assistance Fund, and Transition Assistance Fund. Since
its inception in 2018, the OSF has provided over £3.9 million to 106 fisheries and projects around the world. Of that,nearly £275,000 has been awarded to UK fisheries and UK-based institutions.
The Poole Harbour clam and cockle fishery was the first in the UK to receive support from the OSF. In the Fund’sinaugural year, it was awarded £21,056 for a project developed in conjunction with the Southern Inshore Fisheries andConservation Authority and the Dorset Wildlife Trust to widen fishers’ skills in identifying protected species. An
illustrated, waterproof wheelhouse guide was designed alongside survey forms for fishers to submit recordings ofinteractions with other species and habitats. The data collected from this project and ongoing ETP species monitoringhas continued to inform good management in the fishery and demonstrate that the fishery can operate sustainably
within a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
In 2022, a Master’s student from the University of Exeter received £4,475 as part OSF’s Student Research Grant for a
project that would use GIS (Geographical Information Systems) technology mapping to assess any potential impact
on ETP species that the MSC certified Wash Brown Shrimp Fishery encounters in the North Sea. The outcomes of thiswork are helping the fishery to implement best practice ETP species management measures and could be used to
inform other fisheries using similar gear methods or in the same region.
In 2023, UK fisheries received just over £100,000 in OSF funding (nearly 14% of the total awarded to all projects thatyear). In recognition for their long-term commitment to sustainability, the Cornish sardine fishery and SFSAG Northern
Demersal fishery were awarded grants under OSF’s Recertification Assistance Fund. These funds support fisheries
with long standing commitments to sustainability and contributed to the audit costs of the fishery’s second
recertifications. The Cornish sardine fishery will benefit from funds received under OSF’s Science and Research Fundto support a knowledge-sharing exchange between MSC certified fisheries. Cornish fishermen will travel to the MSC
certified South Australian sardine fishery, following a visit from the Australian fishery this year. They will shareexamples of best practices to mitigate against interactions with marine mammals, including e-monitoring techniques
and the use of acoustic deterrents, which may be able to further reduce bycatch impacts in similar fisheries.
The Science and Research Fund has also supported the work of other UK-based conservation organisations to further
the sustainability of fisheries outside of the country. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) received two grants of justunder £50,000 each to identify vulnerable marine habitats in the deep-sea around West Greenland. The research wasused to help the Greenland halibut and coldwater prawn fisheries avoid these habitats and provide recommendations
to the Greenland government on managing fishing impacts, which ultimately helped to close outstanding conditions
relating to the fishery’s MSC certification.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) also received funding in 2021 to test a device developed with
Fishtek Marine called the “looming-eyes buoy” (LEB), aimed at reducing unwanted bycatch of seabirds in the ISF
Iceland lumpfish fishery. As a condition of its certification, the fishery was required to develop a bycatch strategy that
does not hinder the recovery of endangered, threatened or protected seabirds. This means minimising bycatch andproving that it is not having an impact on populations of endangered species such as black guillemots. The effectivenessof the device could be a significant breakthrough both for the fishery and for other gillnet fisheries around the globe,
as bycatch has been recognised as one of the top three threats affecting seabird species globally.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

32

Stakeholder Input: Embedded in the
MSC Assessment Process
An important component of the MSC certification process is the opportunity for stakeholders to input at critical stagesof a fishery’s assessment. Stakeholder engagement helps ensure that the high bar for sustainability is credible,
transparent, and subject to the rigor of external input. Any stakeholder, including members of the public, can challenge
the scoring of a fishery or any other structural part of the report, and the independent auditor is obligated to respond.
If the stakeholder brings forward a credible case, the auditor could amend the report outcomes and/or change thefishery’s scoring. If a stakeholder remains unsatisfied that their input has not been reflected in the determination of
the fishery performance against MSC requirements, the objection can be taken to an independent adjudication process.
This is a further, independent, legal review on the performance of both the auditor’s application of the MSC requirementson the fishery, and the performance of the fishery itself.

MSC Assessment Process
OPTIONAL

BEFOREANNOUNCEMENT

Pre-assessment
ReportInitial assessment offishery completed byconsultant or CAB.

MANDATORYFIP Reports
If fisheries enter through
FIP, any data the fishery
has can be provided to
the CAB.

Client Document
Checklist
Structured reference list
provided by the fisheryclient.

MANDATORY
Announcement
Comment Draft Report
CAB team review entry
documents and draft
scoring ranges and areference list for each PI.

Clients decision toproceed or improvefurther

Client Review
Client will review theAnnouncement Comment
Draft Report and can
submit further information
to the CAB.

PUBLICANNOUNCEMENTPUBLIC

Stakeholder Input

Announcement
Comment Draft Reportpublished

Stakeholders have 60
days for initial assessment
or 30 days for reassessment to commenton report. The CAB will
publish comments before
site visit.

Announcement Comment
Draft Report is published.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

SITE VISIT

Site visit and Scoring
CAB assessment teamcompletes activities
and meet with any
stakeholders for their
input.

REPORTING
AND REVIEWS

Stakeholder Input at
Site Visit

Client and Peer
Review Draft Report
Client and Peer Review
Draft Report is draftedand sent for reviews.

PUBLIC
Public Comment Draft
ReportClient Review
Client has 60 days to raise
any items and then draft
Action Plan.

Peer Review
30 days independent Peer
Review on report.

CABs create PCDR for
stakeholder input frompreviously involved
stakeholders.

Potential MSC
Technical OversightPeer Review follow-up
Stakeholder Input

PUBLICFINAL
DETERMINATION

30 days stakeholder
input for stakeholder that
previously provided input.

Final Draft Report
Announcement Draft
Report is published.

Notice of Objection
PUBLICCERTIFICATION

Public Certification
ReportFinal decision on
certification, andcertificate issued if fisherypasses.

Figure 22: The Marine Stewardship Council Assessment Process, including stakeholder input

15 working days forparties to lodge a Noticeof Objection. Earlier
consultation phase before
written representations.

33

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

34

A variety of stakeholders have participated in UK and Irish fishery assessment processes, including conservation
organisations, scientists, government bodies, and industry groups. Stakeholder participation in MSC fisheryassessments has been regular, thorough and detailed, demonstrating a high degree of buy-in to the assessment
process by external stakeholders. Assessors proactively reach out to stakeholders at the beginning of the certification
process to invite their participation, and a review of the 144 assessment documents considered in this report show
anywhere between one and 292 stakeholders being contacted, with an average of 55.
While counting the number of stakeholder comments is fluid, this report calculates that 123 written stakeholder
comments were made on 20 of the 144 assessment reports. It should be noted that this is not the only form of
stakeholder participation—a significant number of stakeholders participate in site visits and interviews as well—butwritten stakeholder comments are the only aspect of stakeholder participation within the scope of this report. These
comments originated from 27 different organisations or individuals. Stakeholders can comment on specific performanceor scoring indicators, the assessors, any facts, data points, language, graphics used or the process itself, among otherissues. Most of the comments (59%) were made by conservations organisations and eNGOs: 73 written comments
made in eight distinct reports, five of which were at the initial assessments or reassessments stage. Other stakeholder
types who left significant number of comments included government bodies (18), industry (12), individuals (10), andscientists (8). The Open Seas Trust and Natural England have been the most active stakeholders, having submitted 23
comments on two separate reports, and 15 comments on four separate reports, respectively. The following pie chart
depicts the amount of comments per stakeholder type:

Numbers of comments logged by each stakeholder type

8%
10%

7% 2%
59%

Conservation/eNGO
Government
Industry
Individual
Scientist
Wildlife tour group

15%
Figure 23: Comments by stakeholder type

Besides the Open Seas Trust, the top stakeholders participating in UK and Irish MSC assessments submitted a similar
number of comments, demonstrating the wide interest throughout the UK and Irish stakeholder network generated
through the MSC certification process.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Numbers of comments per stakeholder
The Open Seas Trust
Natural England
ClientEarth
Coastwatch
WWF (all country offices)
Ashley Hayden
Dorset Wildlife Trust
Rest
0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Figure 24: Number of comments received by all types of stakeholder

NUMBER OF REPORTS COMMENTED ON BY STAKEHOLDERS
Natural England
ClientEarth
Dorset Wildfare Trust
WWF (all country offices)
Irish Vessel Mussel Fishing Alliance
NAFC Marine Centre UHIThe Open Seas Trust
0

1

2

3

4

5

Figure 25: Number of reports commented on per stakeholder who contributed to more than one report

CONSERVATION ORGANISATIONS AND ENGO COMMENTS PER PRINCIPLE

12%

16%
Stock health (Principle 1)

8%

Ecosystem impacts (Principle 2)
Management (Principle 3)
No specific principle

64%
Figure 26: Conservations organisations and eNGO comments by Principle

35

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

36

The 73 comments received from conservation organisations and eNGOs mostly focused on Principle 2. Within Principle
2 the focus has been on the Habitats component of the Fisheries Standard, with the fewest comments made on
Secondary species and Ecosystem.

CONSERVATION ORGANISATIONS AND ENGO principle 2 input by component

10%

20.5%

Primary species
Secondary species
ETP
Habitats
Ecosystem

20.5%

49%

Figure 27: Principle 2 comments received by conservations organisations and eNGO, by MSC Standard component

The results of the analysis for other stakeholder groups were equally striking. Government (including government
agencies) comments also heavily focused on Principle 2. There were very few comments relating to Principle 3(management) and no comments on Primary species or Secondary species. Half of all comments from government
stakeholders were related to the Habitats component.

Government Stakeholder’s Input Per Principle

5.5%

5.5%

Government Stakeholder’s Principle 2 Input Per Topic

7%

11%
43%

50%
78%
Stock health (Principle 1)

Primary species

Ecosystem impacts (Principle 2)

BycatchManagement (Principle 3)

ETP

No specific principle

Habitats
Ecosystem

Figure 28: Government comments by MSC Principle

Figure 29: Government Principle 2 comments by component

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

37

Industry, on the other hand, left no comments related to Principle 2, and focused on Principle 1 (stock status) and
Principle 3 (management). These comments generally came from catching sector representatives operating inoverlapping fisheries or using alternative gear types to those listed in the assessment process. Some of the comments
dealt with topics such as the client group or the process of stakeholder comments and thus did not fall under any
Principle in particular.

INDUSTRY INPUT PER PRINCIPLE

17%

Stock health (Principle 1)
Ecosystem impacts (Principle 2)

41.5%

Management (Principle 3)
No specific principle

41.5%

Figure 30: Catching sector comments by principle

The distribution of the comments of individuals (non-affiliated), on the other hand, was similar to that of the conservation
organisations and NGOs, and government: heavily skewed towards Principle 2, with habitats being the primary focus.
Not displayed are the comments left by scientists, which followed a similar pattern: half of their comments dealt with
Principle 1 and the other half Principle 2, with all the Principle 2 comments being related to habitats.

NON-afiliated stakeholder input per principle

10%

20%

10%

Stock health (Principle 1)
Ecosystem impacts (Principle 2)
Management (Principle 3)
No specific principle

60%
Figure 31: Non-affiliated stakeholder comments by principle

The recurring theme in analysing the stakeholder comments on MSC assessment, is that UK and Irish stakeholders,across most categories of stakeholder type, are most concerned about the impact fishing has on the surrounding
environment, especially regarding habitats.
It may be that the comments were disproportionately directed to a few fisheries, which tended to have a certain gear
type or target a certain species. However, such an analysis is beyond the scope of this report.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

38

Climate Change and UK and
Irish FisheriesNews of an unprecedented marine heatwave in the waters around the UK and Ireland hit the headlines this summer 26,
with scientists warning that these abrupt heat shocks, together with other ongoing effects of climate change, could
cause mass mortalities of fish and other sea life, if they persist27. With the number of marine heatwaves affecting theplanet’s oceans increasing sharply, this poses a significant threat to global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystemservices28.
The Met Office reported global sea surface temperatures in April and May at an all-time high and analysis from theEuropean Space Agency and the Met Office found water temperatures as much as 3° C to 4° C higher than the averagefor the time of year with the trend expected to continue.
The Met Office also said this was partly down to human caused climate change29. The sea was particularly warm off the
UK’s east coast from Durham to Aberdeen and off north-west Ireland.
The Earth has already warmed by about 1.1° C since pre-industrial times30, and the northernmost parts of the globe areexperiencing temperature increases more pronounced than elsewhere. This includes the North Sea, which has been
identified as a ‘hot spot’ for climate change and is expected to see an increase in sea surface temperatures of 2.3—3.7°
C by 2100, compared to a global average of 0.6—2.0° C31. The effects are already being felt in UK and Irish fisheries. The
Earth’s warming means warmer temperatures in the oceans, less sea ice, lower levels of oxygen, lower pH levels (i.e.
more acidic, due to the increasing concentration of carbon in the atmosphere)32, and shifting currents33. This hascaused changes in populations: some species have declined, while others have become more abundant, yet others
have simply shifted geographically, and some species have shifted geographically while having had population
increases or decreases. One study demonstrated that over 70% of species in the North Atlantic have responded towarming with changes in distribution and abundance from 1980 to 2008⁷. Another showed that centres of distribution
have shifted between 50 and 400 km⁵, while yet another showed North Sea demersal species distribution getting
approximately 3.6m deeper per decade between 1980 and 2004⁵. Specifically in this region, warmer-water species are
predicted to become more common in the waters of the British Isles, such as red mullet, Dover sole, John Dory, andsquid34. On the other hand, cold-water species are expected to see a decrease in abundance; these species include
Atlantic cod, monkfish, and megrim sole⁸.
Stocks of Atlantic mackerel have moved northward as sea temperatures have risen, which has resulted in disputes
between coastal states, including the United Kingdom, over how to share fishery resources35. With no agreement for
quota allocations within the scientific recommended limits, MSC certification for North East Atlantic mackerel was
suspended in March 2019, and is no longer in MSC’s programme.
Recent declines in North Sea cod populations have been attributed in part to changing climate, with this change
resulting in fewer juvenile cod surviving to adulthood36. Having fewer adult fish has made sustainable fishing of the codstock more difficult. Because of this problem, MSC certification of North Sea cod fisheries were suspended in
September 2019, and a stock rebuilding plan is currently underway 37.
There is evidence that warming temperatures also leads to smaller fish, with one study showing body size reductions
leading to a 23% decline in potential yields across stocks including whiting, herring, and haddock⁷. Increased sea
temperatures have also been observed to have decreased North Sea phytoplankton productivity, but while thesemicroorganisms form the foundation of the food web, there are too many factors involved to predict the outcome thiswould have on fisheries.
Sustainable seafood has a central role to play in climate change policy, both in reducing carbon emissions and ensuring
sustainable livelihoods and food security. Sustainable fisheries that meet the MSC’s standard for sustainable fishing
are well-managed and more prepared for climate change. Given their importance to the planet, it’s vital we manage theoceans in a sustainable way. Changes to the ocean mean changes to fish stocks and managing fishing sustainably
requires adapting to whatever issues climate change brings.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

39

MSC certified fisheries, including those in the UK & Ireland, have effective monitoring and management in place toreduce their impacts on the environment. They also follow the current best scientific advice to ensure they catch fish
sustainably. Certified fisheries show that it is possible to balance economic and environmental priorities to safeguard
our oceans, the wider environment and seafood supplies for the future, whilst adapting and becoming more resilient to
the threats posed by climate change.
Additional good news is that fishing has less impact on climate than the harvesting of other proteins, another reason
why the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are calling for a ‘Blue Foods Transformation’. A studyof greenhouse gas emissions of wild fisheries38 found that each kg of fish caught produces between one and five kg ofcarbon. By comparison, red meat production is estimated to range from 50 to 750 kg of carbon per kg of meat.
There is also evidence that sustainable fishing helps to reduce carbon emissions by increasing efficiency. For example,
increased catches within Icelandic fisheries39 mean that fishing vessels now make shorter fishing trips, reducing theirfuel use and carbon emissions as a result.

Source: BBC, Climate change: Sudden heat increase in seas around UK and Ireland (2023)
Source: The Guardian, ‘Unheard of’ marine heatwave off UK and Irish coasts poses serious threat (2023)
28
Source: Smale et al,. Marine heatwaves threaten global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services (2019)29
Source: Met Office, Sea surface temperatures breaking records (2023)
30
Source: NASA, World of Change: Global Temperatures (2023)
31
Source: MCCIP, Climate Change and UK Fisheries – perceptions of risk and possible adaptation options (2015)32
Source: Houses of Parliament, Climate Change and Fisheries (2019)33
Source: IUCN, Explaining Ocean Warming: Causes, scale, effects and consequences (2016)34
Source: University of Bristol, How fish stocks will change in warming seas (2020)35
Source: MSC, North East Atlantic pelagic fisheries: Report (2023)
36
Source: Copernicus Service, Climate change linked with declining North Sea cod populations (2019)37
Source: MSC, North Sea cod to lose sustainability certification (2019)38
Source: Parker, et al., Fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions of world fisheries (2018)39
Kristofersson, et al., Factors affecting greenhouse gas emissions in fisheries: evidence from Iceland’s demersal fisheries (2021)
26
27

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

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Discussion
UK and Irish fisheries have made significant progressagainst MSC requirements since the Burry Inlet cockle
fishery first obtained certification in 2001. MSC certified
landings have increased from approximately 500 metrictons (less than 1% of total UK and Irish landings) toapproximately 174,744 metric tons, a total which now
represents 20% of the landings of the two countries.
Not included in the scope of this report are fisheries
currently suspended or withdrawn from the MSC
programme, including: Thames Blackwater herring driftnet fisheries, South West handline mackerel, SPSG Westof Scotland herring Pelagic Trawl, SPSG, DPPO, PFA,SPFPO & KFO Atlanto-Scandian purse seine and pelagic
trawl herring, PPO, KFO, SPSG & Compagnie des Pêches
St Malo Northeast Atlantic blue whiting Pelagic Trawl,
MINSA North East Atlantic mackerel and Scottish
Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG)
North Sea cod, which have withdrawn. Meeting the
MSC’s rigorous Fisheries Standard is no easy task, and,during the period in which this report focusses, there
have been suspensions of key fisheries in the UK and
Ireland fishery landscape, such as the North East Atlantic
mackerel and North Sea cod fisheries. Fisheries thatcannot continue to meet the Standard or do not close out
their conditions will lose certification, ensuring that
consumers can be assured that the seafood theypurchase with the blue MSC ecolabel on comes fromfisheries that continue to operate at best practice. If
suspended fisheries like mackerel and North Sea cod
can resolve their issues, and there are significant efforts
underway to address them, through completing theiraction plans and enable them to re-enter the programme,
the MSC certified share of the national catch could groweven further, to close to 60% of all UK and Irish landings(mt). It is the MSC’s hope that the UK and Irelandestablishes and maintains global leadership in certified
sustainable fisheries.
Substantial progress has been realised throughout
MSC’s journey in the UK and Ireland, with certified
landings of the fisheries within scope of this reportincreasing by 300% between 2011 and 2021, and acommitment by much of the catching sector to continue
to improve their fishery performance to meet the level
required to successfully achieve MSC certification.
MSC’s ambition is that more UK and Irish consumers will
have greater access to more sustainably caught seafood,including that caught and landed on the shores of the UK
and Ireland. The region’s thoroughly rich biodiversity
makes it vital that the percentage of MSC certified
landings continue to increase, so that we all can beassured that overfishing and other unsustainable
practices are not harming these vital stocks and thehabitats and ecosystems that secure essential blue
foods, biodiversity, and other environmental services.
Moreover, the threat of climate change to this richbiodiversity highlights the need to secure robust,
adaptable fisheries that can survive the impact of theselarge-scale environmental changes. If we do not makeprogress in achieving our COP21 Paris Agreement goalsof limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5
degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, UK and Irish
fisheries may become less productive and be at higher
risk of damaging shocks. Considering how much progresshas been required since the 2018 IPCC report, and thatgreenhouse gas emissions from energy rose 6% in 2021
to a record high, re-doubling of efforts and measures areneeded. We hope that political and business leadersacross the world offer bolder solutions, because this iswhat will be necessary to keep warming to 1.5 degrees
Celsius. Eating a wide variety of MSC certified seafood
species instead of red meat, and harnessing blue oraquatic foods better in our diets where UK consumers
currently eat a little over half the recommended amount,is probably the simplest place the reader can start to
reduce one’s food-associated carbon footprint.
The UK and Irish MSC certified fisheries covered in thisreport have made many improvements over the years,
through aiming to enter the MSC programme and thenmaintaining their certification. Their time, effort, andfinancial investment in the programme has led to very
positive changes on the water, that have ensured healthystocks, reduced damage to ecosystems and habitats,and better protections for many ETP species, among
other benefits. These fisheries have had to keep theirenvironmental performance at a very extremely highlevel over the years, to retain the blue label used toproudly promote their sustainability. Not only must they
maintain an average score of 80 (demonstrating bestpractice) across all three MSC principles and not allow
any score to dip below 60, but they must also reach ascore of 80 for all Performance Indicators by the end of
their five year certification period.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Furthermore, the MSC Fisheries Standard evolves overtime along with best practice, requiring the fisheries
already in the programme to boost their performanceeven further. The UK and Irish fisheries that have been in
the programme for two certification cycles haveincreased their performance dramatically—to the point
where they are truly exemplary, world-leading,sustainable fisheries. The average scores for Principle 1
and Principle 3 are comfortably in the 90’s, and average
Principle 2 scores are just below 90. Clearly, being a partof the MSC programme for the long term has broughtthese fisheries to a higher bar of performance.
Much of the recorded improvement has been achieved
through the closing of conditions. Due to the commitmentof remaining certified, UK and Irish fisheries have made146 concrete improvements to their fishing practices,which notably does not include any improved scores thatwere already above 80 (i.e. do not have conditions). The
fact that there are only seven open conditions related togovernance (Principle 3) is a remarkable feat for acollection of 19 fisheries and shows the commitment tosustainability that the fishing authorities of these twocountries have made over the past several years.
Closing these conditions spurred innovations that will
have reached beyond the concrete improvements to thefisheries themselves—they have also provided examples
and benchmarks of best practices in sustainable fishingthat can be followed by other fisheries. The discard
monitoring systems put in place in the UK Fisheries/
DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe fishery demonstrates
how a fishery can prove that it is not harming ETP
species. The success of acoustic deterrents (“pingers”)
as demonstrated by the Cornish hake gill net fishery andthe study by SMRU have proven the effectiveness of thistechnology in preventing cetacean interaction tofisheries managers around the world. The SSMO
Shetland inshore brown and velvet crab, lobster andscallop’s Spatial Management Plan has also provided agreat example of how a dredge fishery can voluntarily
limit it’s impacts on the areas in which it operates,
through closing vulnerable areas to fishing andprotecting species and habitats.
But it is not just the fisheries themselves that havehelped fishing practices become more sustainable. The
UK and Ireland’s actively engaged stakeholders continue
to provide valuable contributions though comments
received on the CABs’ assessments, of these fisheries’
performance against the MSC Standard, ensuring thatassessments are held up to external scrutiny. The resultsof stakeholder engagement in assessments has led toscore changes by CABs and resulted in new conditions ofcertification for fisheries. For example, new conditions
on harvest control rules and secondary species wereadded on the Cornwall sardine fishery thanks to41

stakeholder input. Not only have stakeholder comments
led to improvements on the water, but they have also
ensured that the surveillance reports published by theauditors are of the highest quality.
It is undeniable that the growth of the MSC programmein the UK and Ireland has brought many positive changes
to the fisheries in this region and to their surrounding
environments. However, there are still challenges ahead.
Currently, there are 58 open conditions on MSC fisheries
in the UK and Ireland, including 31 conditions on Principle
2, 21 of which are against the ETP and Habitats
components. This means that the certified UK and Irish
fisheries must continue to take significant steps toreduce interactions with ETP species, and to ensure thatfishing activity does not cause serious or irreversible
harm to the surrounding habitat.
In 2023 the MSC released an updated version of the MSC
Standard, Version 3, which contains significant
additional requirements addressing ETP species,
habitats and ghost gear, as well as more stringent levelof evidence needed to demonstrate how fisheries aremeeting this new standard. With a deadline of November
2028 for all fisheries to be audited against the new
Version 3, the performance of certified UK and Irish
fisheries will hopefully be demonstrated to be evenhigher, as they aim to meet these new requirements. The
MSC Science and Standards team, through extensive
consultation, have also clarified language, refinedexisting tools and developed new guidance to ensure
the Standard can be applied efficiently and is increasingly
accessible to all fisheries around the world.
The hope for MSC is that other UK and Irish fisheries will
be encouraged to learn from those that have come before
them and follow their lead soon, by entering MSC
assessment, and in the years ahead gain recognition for
their performance. In 2022, to support fisheries indelivering on this ambition, the MSC opened its In
Transition to MSC (ITM) programme to all fisheries
globally. Through providing a structured andindependently audited approach to fishery improving
programmes, MSC aims to add better assurance andcredibility to this space, and ultimately support more
fisheries in their journey to meet the MSC Fisheries
Standard.
For MSC in the UK and Ireland, our facilitation of Project
UK has provided a platform for supporting fisheries
aiming for improvement and ultimately certification,from Peterhead to Newlyn. This model, a pre-competitive
partnership between the fishing industry, NGOs, supply
chain, retailers, foodservice and science, as well as
government and their agencies, has paved the way for acommitment to become world leading, and collectively
push forward together. Our hope is that through

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

demonstrating the successful implementation anddelivery of these Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs),and capitalising on the opportunity that a new politicallandscape has provided in allowing a refreshed approach
to fisheries management to take place, that we canfurther the sustainability of more UK and Irish fisheries,and enable their recognition, through certification, andreward of proudly promoting their blue MSC ecolabel inthe market, in the years ahead.
With a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine ourapproach to sustainable management of our fisheries in
the UK following EU Exit, it is imperative the government,
policy makers and agencies deliver on their commitments
to implement a world leading approach. Utilising theskills, demand and expertise of the stakeholder networkin the UK and supporting this through appropriate andambitious funding for science, research and initiatives
aiming to improve fisheries sustainability, will all aide inturning this great opportunity into a reality.
MSC’s vision is of oceans teeming with life, and this isdelivered though a theory of change that requires
consumers to identify and purchase seafood fromfisheries that can demonstrate they are performing atbest practice. This model means that fisheries aspire tomeet a level that is encouraged through market demandand drives them to make innovative changes to increasesustainability. Through gaining market recognition for
their sustainability, and as a result demand for theircatch, some MSC certified fisheries in the UK have been
analysed to assess the socio-economic impact ofcertification. Analysis has shown a clear price premium,42in the case of Cornish hake, while most exhibit trends ofimproved market access, reputation and sometimes
catches.
While this report documents the details of thesechanges, it is important to consider them in the wider
context of the current global political landscape. Climatechange, increasing populations and shifts in global
politics are significant challenges facing the fishingindustry, and the MSC’s goal to have over one third ofglobal catch engaged in the MSC programme by 2030
provides a structured roadmap for delivering socioeconomic security of coastal communities and providing
access to low carbon protein. Our hope is that the
improvements discussed in this report, along with theintroduction of ITM and the new version of the MSC
Standard will continue to encourage fisheries to performat best practice and secure the sustainability of fisheries
for the future. The Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF), withthe ambition to grow this fund to $100 million by 2032,
will help the MSC’s global programme and network ofcommitted partners to support, enable and drive forwardfurther impacts and improvements within the global
seafood landscape.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this report, andplease do get in touch if you would like to discuss how
we can achieve these ambitious goals, together.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

43

Glossary
Announcement Comment Draft Report (ACDR): The public announcement of an assessment takes place with the postingon the MSC website of the Announcement Comment Draft Report (ACDR). The ACDR is an almost full version of theassessment report, but with indicative scoring ranges rather than specific scores.
Annual audit: An official, independent, and documented inspection which obtains evidence within an organisation anduses it to determine the extent to which the audit criteria is fulfilled. Audits are typically conducted by an auditor.
Bycatch species: Organisms that have been taken incidentally and are not retained (usually because they have nocommercial value).
Conformity Assessment Body (CAB): CABs are third-party auditors who independently assess fisheries against the
MSC Fisheries Standard. When a fishery is assessed and certified to the Fisheries Standard, its catch can be sold withthe blue MSC label. Note: Whenever the word CAB is used in the text, it applies to both the applicant and accredited
CABs, unless otherwise stated.
Condition: A requirement to achieve outcomes in order to achieve a score of 80 or above.
Ecosystem: Referred to as the fisheries impact on the wider ecosystem structure and function, including considerationof the removal of the target stock, the impacts of the fishery on both the ecosystem’s inherent health and balance (e.g.
structure, trophic relationships and biodiversity) and the impact on the services provided by the ecosystem.
Endangered, Threatened or Protected (ETP): ETP species are ‘in scope’ species that are recognised by national
threatened species legislation or species that are listed in binding international agreements such as the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Species classified as ‘out-of scope’ (amphibians, reptiles, birds
and mammals) that are listed in the IUCN Redlist as vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CE) arerecognised as ETP species.
Expedited audit: For Chain of Custody: An irregularly timed, unannounced or short notice audit. Advance notice to begiven to the Certificate Holder no more than one calendar day in advance. For Fisheries: An audit which happens
outside the normal surveillance schedule, provoked by changes in the fishery.
Fish stock: The living resources in the community or population from which catches are taken in a fishery. Use of theterm fish stock implies that the particular population is a biologically distinct unit. In a particular fishery, the fish stock
may be one or several species of fish or other aquatic organisms.
Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP): Multi-stakeholder initiatives that aim to help fisheries work towards sustainability.
Habitat: The chemical and bio-physical environment, including biogenic (made by organisms) structure, where fishingtakes place.
Harvest Control Rule (HCR): A set of well-defined pre-agreed rules or actions used for determining a management
action in response to changes in indicators of stock status with respect to reference points.
Harvest Strategy (HS): The combination of monitoring, stock assessment, harvest control rules and management
actions, which may include a management plan.
Main primary or secondary species: Species that form a significant part of the total catch weight, accounting for morethan 5% of the total catch weight, or 2% of the total catch weight if they are deemed a less resilient species.
Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs): A type of marine protected area that can be designated in English, Welsh andNorthern Irish territorial and offshore waters. MCZs protect a range of nationally important habitats and species suchas cold-water coral reefs which thrive in the UK’s deeper waters, sedimentary seabed habitats vital for a range ofmarine processes and other species, and the slow-growing ocean quahog identified as an OSPAR Threatened and/or
Declining species.
Marine Protected Area (MPA): A protected marine intertidal or subtidal area, within territorial waters, Exclusive
Economic Zones (EEZ) or in the high seas, set aside by law or other effective means, together with its overlying waterandassociated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features.

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

44

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY): The highest theoretical equilibrium yield that can be continuously taken (on average)from a stock under existing (average) environmental conditions without significantly affecting the reproduction process.
Minor primary or secondary species: Applies to both primary and secondary species, these are species that are more
rarely caught in the fishery accounting for less than 5% of the total catch weight, or 2% of the total catch weight if they
are deemed a less-resilient species.
Primary species: Species caught in the fishery that are not the targeted stock (not covered by Principle 1) or ETP but aremanaged by tools and measures that are intended to achieve stock management objectives.
Priority Marine Feature (PMF): A variety of habitats and species that are a priority for conservation in Scotland’s seas,
which were developed by Marine Scotland, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH).
Productivity and Susceptibility Analysis (PSA): Used as the ‘Level 2’ analysis in the Risk Based Framework. This semiquantitative approach examines several attributes of each species that contribute to or reflect its productivity orsusceptibility, in order to provide a relative measure of the risk to the scoring element from fishing activities.
Public Certification Report (PCR): A report published by a Conformity Assessment Body at the end of an assessment
against the MSC Fisheries Standard.
Public Comment Draft Report (PCDR): The draft report of the assessment of the fishery prepared by the team and the
Conformity Assessment Body released for public comment. Follows peer review draft report. Precedes final report.
Reference points: Biological reference points; stock status reference points used to define management action in
response to stock status.
Risk Based Framework (RBF): Used for assessing data-poor fisheries – this is a framework of assessment tools forscoring ‘outcome’ performance indicators in cases where insufficient information is available to score a fishery using
the default Scoring Guideposts. See PSA and SICA for examples of tools.
Scale Intensity Consequence Analysis (SICA): Scale Intensity Consequence Analysis (in relation to using the RBF) –used as the ‘Level 1’ analysis in the RBF. This qualitative approach identifies the activities mostly likely to be associatedwith ‘worst case’ impacts on any species, habitat or ecosystem. A SICA is best conducted with the participation of adiverse group of stakeholders who are able to provide a range of knowledge about the fishery under assessment.
Scope extension: A process for Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) to follow if a fishery client wants to extend its
MSC certificate to include other fishery operations such as adding a new gear type, targeting a new species or adding
new vessels to the certificate.
Secondary species: Species caught in the fishery that are not the targeted stock (not covered by Principle 1) or ETP. Are
not considered ‘primary’ as they are not managed to achieve stock management objectives; or are species that are outof scope of the programme, but where the definition of ETP species is not applicable.
Spawning stock biomass (SSB): Total weight of all sexually mature fish in the stock.
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs): Are protected areas in the UK designated under the Conservation of Habitats
and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) in England and Wales (including the adjacent territorial sea) and to alimited extent in Scotland (reserved matters) and Northern Ireland (excepted matters); the Conservation (Natural
Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) in Scotland; the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations(Northern Ireland) 1995 (as amended) in Northern Ireland; the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species
Regulations 2017 in the UK offshore area.
Special Protection Area (SPA): The land classified under Directive 79/409 on the Conservation of Wild Birds. SPAs arestrictly protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Birds Directive, which came into force in April 1979.
Unit of Assessment (UoA): The target stock(s) combined with the fishing method/gear and practice (including vessel
type/s) pursuing that stock, and any fleets, or groups of vessels, or individual fishing operators or other eligible fishers
that are included in an MSC fishery assessment. In some fisheries, the UoA may be further defined based on thespecific fishing seasons and/or areas that are included.
Unit of Certification (UoC): The target stock(s) combined with the fishing method/gear and practice (including vessel/s)
pursuing that stock. When the term “unit of certification” is used for fisheries that are in assessment, it refers to the“unit of assessment” or “unit of potential certification”. Note that other eligible fishers may be included in some unitsof certification but not initially certified (until covered by a certificate sharing arrangement).
Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME): These are ecosystems that are classified as vulnerable due to their respective
characteristics and processes, such as rarity, fragility, life history dependency by various species, structure complexity
and the functional significance of the ecosystem. See FAO guidelines for more information. www.fao.org/in-action/
vulnerablemarine-ecosystems/en

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Annex
Specification of page 8: MSC status of UK and Irish fisheries
The following pages show, for each target species, the MSC certificates of UK and Irish fisheries. This does
not mean that all catches for that species have been assessed and certified, as explained in the text box
on p6.
All these fisheries, their current status and the reports of the independent auditors are publicly accessible
through our online database called “Track a Fishery.” https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/.
Different fishing methods are also mentioned; more explanations can be found on this website:
https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/fishing-methods-and-gear-types.

CockleCertificate:

Burry Inlet cockles
This fishery was combined into the Dee Estuary and Burry Inlet cockles fishery

Certified since:

April 2001

Target species:

Cockle (Cerastoderma edule)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); Burry Inlet, Carmarthenshire and Swansea,
South Wales

Method:Trap

Herring
Certificate:

SPSG Ltd North Sea herring
This fishery was combined into the PFA, SPSG, SPFPO, DFPO and DPPO North Sea
Herring fishery

Certified since:

July 2008

Target species:

Herring (Clupea harengus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES divisions IV and VIId

Method:Midwater trawl

SardineCertificate:Cornwall sardine, UK

Certified since:

June 2010

Target species:

European pilchard(=Sardine) (Sardina pilchardus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Divisions VIIe and VIIf

Method:Purse seine45

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Mixed species: Hake, Plaice, Haddock, Saithe, Whiting
Certificate:

SFSAG Northern Demersal Stocks

Certified since:

October 2010

Target species:

European hake (Merluccius merluccius), European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa),
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Saithe(=Pollock) (Pollachius virens), Whiting (Merlangius merlangus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Divisions Iva & IVb, VI, and VII

Method:Danish seine, Pair seine, Bottom trawl, Nephrops trawl, Pair trawl, Demersal trawl

SaitheCertificate:

UK Fisheries/DFFU/Doggerbank Group saithe
This is a multinational fishery with joint agreements between the EU, the UK, Norway, and Russia. The EU has come up with an multiannual management plan thathas not been adopted by Norway.

Certified since:

January 2011

Target species:

Saithe(=Pollock) (Pollachius virens)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Sub Areas IIIa, IV, and VI

Method:Bottom trawl

Lobster
Certificate:

Normandy and Jersey lobster

Certified since:

June 2011

Target species:

European lobster (Homarus gammarus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); Jersey (UK Crown Dependency) and Granville
Bay (shared fishery between Basse Normandie and Jersey)

Method:Pot

Mixed fishery: Crab, Scallop
Certificate:

SSMO Shetland inshore brown crab and scallop

Certified since:

March 2012

Target species:

Brown crab (Cancer pagurus), Great Atlantic scallop (Pecten maximus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Area Iva

Method:Dredge, Pot

46

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Mixed fishery: Cod, Haddock, Saithe
Certificate:

UK Fisheries Ltd/DFFU/Doggerbank Northeast Arctic cod, haddock and saithe
This is a multinational fishery with joint agreements between the EU, the UK,
Norway, and Russia.

Certified since:

May 2012

Target species:

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Saithe (Pollachius virens)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Sub Areas I, IIa, IIb

Method:Otter trawl

MusselCertificate:

Shetland & Scottish Mainland Rope Grown mussel Enhanced Fishery

Certified since:

June 2012

Target species:

Mussels (Mytilus spp)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Area Iva and Via

Method:Miscellaneous

CockleCertificate:

Dee Estuary and Burry Inlet cockles

Certified since:

July 2012

Target species:

Cockle (Cerastoderma edule)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); Dee Estuary

Method:MiscellaneousMusselCertificate:

Ireland Bottom Grown mussel

Certified since:

July 2013

Target species:

Mussels (Mytilus spp)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Areas VIa, VIIa, VIIg, VIIj, and VIIb

Method:DredgeMusselCertificate:Northern Ireland Bottom Grown mussel

Certified since:

July 2013

Target species:

Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Areas VIa, VIIa, VIIg, VIIj, and VIIb

Method:Dredge47

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Herring
Certificate:Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group (NIPSG) Irish Sea herring

Certified since:

August 2014

Target species:

Herring (Clupea harengus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Division 7a (Irish Sea)

Method:Pelagic trawl

Hake
Certificate:Cornish hake gill net

Certified since:

June 2015

Target species:

European hake (Merluccius merluccius)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Divisions VIIe, VIIf, VIIg, VIIh, VIIj2, VIIk2

Method:GillnetMixed species: Herring, Mackerel
Certificate:Northern Ireland Pelagic Sustainability Group(NIPSG) North Sea herring

Certified since:

December 2016

Target species:

Herring (Clupea harengus), Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES divisions IV and VIId

Method:Midwater trawl

Herring
Certificate:

PFA, SPSG, SPFPO, DFPO and DPPO North Sea Herring

Certified since:

April 2017

Target species:

Herring (Clupea harengus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES divisions IV and VIId

Method:Midwater trawl

Mixed species: Cockle, Clam
Certificate:

The Poole Harbour Clam & Cockle Fishery

Certified since:

March 2018

Target species:

Cockle (Cerastoderma edule), Japanese carpet shell (Ruditapes philippinarum)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); Poole Harbour

Method:Dredge48

MSC UK and Ireland State of the Water Report 2023

Haddock
Certificate:

Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG) Rockall haddock

Certified since:

July 2018

Target species:

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Subarea 4, Division 6.a, (North Sea, Westof Scotland) and UK waters of 2a

Method:Single Nephrops trawl, Twin Nephrops trawl, Demersal trawl, Twin demersal trawl,
Danish seine, Pair seine–trawl, Pair trawl

MusselCertificate:

Ireland rope grown mussel

Certified since:

July 2019

Target species:

Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis),
Northern blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Areas 6.a, 7.a, 7.b, 7.g, and 7.j

Method:Miscellaneous

CockleCertificate:Thames cockle dredge

Certified since:

December 2019

Target species:

Cockle (Cerastoderma edule)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 1994 Area

Method:DredgeShrimpCertificate:

Wash Brown Shrimp

Certified since:

January 2020

Target species:

Common shrimp (Crangon crangon)

Location:

FAO Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast); ICES Area IVc, FAO Area 27 – ICES statistical
rectangles 36E9, 36F0, 35F0, 35F1, 34F0, 34F1, 33F1

Method:Beam trawl

49

Contact us
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Get in touch:
Lisa Bennett, Senior Fisheries Outreach Manager, UK & Irelandlisa.bennett@msc.org
Rebecca Lyal, Senior Fisheries Outreach Officer, UK & Ireland
rebecca.lyal@msc.org
George Clark, Programme Director, UK & Irelandgeorge.clark@msc.org
Press:
Karen Attwood, Senior PR & Media Manager, UK & Ireland
karen.attwood@msc.org

Contributors
Drafting and data analysis: John McLeod, MSC Senior Outreach Analysis Officer
Design: Laura Corbilla, MSC Creative Designer
Photos: Cover: Oliver Berry, Inner pages: MSC / Collins Seafood / David Loftus / Emma Rance /Serene Dawn / James Strawbridge / Rockfish / iStock @richcarey / iStock @richcarey mihtiander/ iStock @LuffyKun / iStock @ PhilipThurston

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Find out more:
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mscintheuk@msc.org@MSCintheUK/MSCintheUK/marine-stewardship-council
All MSC fisheries data in this report is correct as of 1st May 2023.

© Marine Stewardship Council 2023