The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Fishery CertificationChain of Custody Certification
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Presentation Outline
BackgroundMSC StandardsProgram structure and operationFishery assessment and
certification Small scale/data deficient Making a differenceProgram status and trendsChain of Custody certificationMSC commitments & products
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Context• From 1950 to 2007, total fish
production 14.3mmMT 120mmMT
• Global avg. seafood consumption in 1960=22lbs.; in 2005=36lbs.
• 200 million people depend directly on the fishing industry
• 25X more fishermen in small-scale than large-scale fisheries with equal production.
• Fish trade is US$83 billion year• 2.9 billion people depend on
seafood as primary or sole source of protein
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Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Independent, international charity established in 1997 by WWF & Unilever
Aim to reverse the decline in global fish stocks
Based on FAO code of conduct for responsible fishing; eco labelling
Operating from 8 global offices & active in over 40 countries
Primarily grant fundedManage two international
standards – fisheries and traceability
Partnership organizationGovernance structure
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• Fisheries apply for certification on a voluntary basis
• Fisheries are assessed against the MSC Standard by 3rd party independent certifiers supported by a team of experts
• Members of the supply chain apply for “Chain of Custody” and audits are completed by 3rd party independent certifiers
• Fish from successfully certified fisheries can be marketed with MSC ecolabel once “chain of custody” is completed
How the Program Works
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The MSC 3rd party process
Standard setter
Certification Bodies
Fishery
AssessCertify &
Audit
Compliance
Supply Chain
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Accredits
Ecolabel Licensing
OUTREACH
Defines Standard Criteria
MSC fishery standard• Developed over 2-year process ’97-99
• Based on FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing
• Broad stakeholder consultation
• Third-party independent, accredited certifiers
• Scope – wild capture fisheries
• Objective and scientifically verifiable; rigorous and comprehensive
• Open to fisheries of all sizes, scales, geography, & gear
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MSC Fishery Certification Process
• Voluntary participation
• Initial analysis (confidential pre-assessment
• Transparent review of fishery (Full Assessment) with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures
• 5-year certification, then re-assessment
• Annual surveillance audits by the certification body (on-going monitoring)
• Governance system for regular review
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MSC pre-assessment
• Recommended
• Confidential –
• Results are not publicized
• Quick analysis of fishery to identify if they are a good candidate and highlight areas of concern
• Timeframe – 2-3 months
• Cost – time and expense of certifier, based on scale and complexity
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MSC Full Assessment• Process – public, peer-reviewed, published
• Timeframe – 12-18 months
• Cost – Time and expense of certifier, based on scale and complexity
• What is assessed (unit of cert)
• Audit –
• 3 principles with 31 indicators
• Scoring (<60-80-100) [qualitative process]
• Avg. 80 across each principle
• No less than 60 any indicator
• Conditions – areas of improvement The best environmental choice in seafood
Full Assessment Process
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• Fishery Client – legal entity entering contracts, provides data to assessment team, identify stakeholders, communicates to certifier
• MSC – standard setter, technical advice, policy development
• ASI – Accredits certifiers, monitors their compliance
• Certifier – Works with assessment team to assess fishery, issues certificates, manages audits
• Fishery Assessment Team – Appointed by certifier to evaluate fishery against MSC standard & scores fishery
• Stakeholders – Ensures concerns are communicated to assessment team & provides detailed arguments
Roles & Responsibilities
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The MSC Standard: Three principles
Sustainability of the stock
Ecosystem impact
Effective management
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The Three Principles
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PRINCIPLE 1A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to over-fishing or depletion of the exploited populations and, for those populations that are depleted, the fishery must be conducted in a manner that demonstrably leads to their recovery
PRINCIPLE 2Fishing operations should allow for the maintenance of the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem (including habitat and associated dependent and ecologically related species) on which the fishery depends
PRINCIPLE 3The fishery is subject to an effective management system that respects local, national and international laws and standards and incorporates institutional and operational frameworks that require use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable
Standardized Assessment Tree- Fishery Assessment Methodology
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• Each performance indicator must score > 60 (minimum pass, automatic fail if not)
• Each Principle must achieve an average weighted score of > 80 across aggregated indicators (best practice)
• For any indicator scoring from > 60 to < 80, fishery client must agree to meet conditions to achieve specified outcomes over a defined period of time
Passing the Fishery Standard
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60 80 10020 40
60 80 10020 40
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Post Fishery Certification• Annual (at least) surveillance
audits by the certification body
• Evaluate progress toward meeting any conditions of certification
• Evaluate if any changes in fishery performance, stock or ecosystem status, management system or new knowledge might create need for re-assessment
• Full re-assessment every 5 years
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Small-scale and/or data deficient fisheries
• MSC Policy• Ensure equal access to
program irrespective of size, scale, location, and intensity of program
• Risk-Based Framework (RBF)• Developed for data
deficient fisheries• Pilots completed in South
America, Africa, Asia, & Europe
• Risk Based Methodology now integrated into FAM
• Methodology based on ERAEF, CSIRO team
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Characteristics of RBF1. Alternative approach to MSC scoring designed to
be used in conjunction with normal fishery assessment methodology
2. Can be used for some indicators in P1 and P23. Is triggered when data for scoring is deficient
(decision tree)4. No prerequisites for a fishery to meet to be eligible 5. Built-in precaution of RBF methods creates an
incentive to use FAM when data are available6. Approach is two-tiered: SICA and PSA7. Provide risk-based estimate of impact of fishery on
ecological components in the PI. 8. Approach: risk based indicators->risk score->MSC
score
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RBF Method: Level 1 – SICA (Scale, Intensity,
Consequence Analysis)• Qualitative process to identify which
activities lead to a significant impact on any species, habitat or ecosystem.
• Uses expert knowledge of stakeholders
• Uses sets of tables to score the impacts of different fishing activities on defined subcomponents
• Final scores based on the worst plausible case scenario identified by the stakeholder group
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RBF Method: Level 2 – PSA (Productivity-Susceptibility
Analysis)Risk to an ecological unit (e.g. a bycatch fish species) due to fishing will depend on:
• Productivity: the natural dynamics of the unit (e.g., age at maturity), that determine the rate at which it recovers from impacts due to fishing
• Susceptibility: the level of “exposure” of the unit to the fishing activity (e.g., encounterability with the fishing gear)
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RBF schematic
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Certification: Making a Difference
Market demand for independent certification is growing & driving change
There is an ecological and business caseCredible and robust certification and labelling programmes
can compliment public policy measures and contribute to delivery of desired outcomes
Clear role for consumers and the public in achieving these aims
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Positive ImprovementsEnvironmental
• New Zealand hoki • Stock rebuilt• Reduced seabird mortality• Seabed impacts
• South Africa hake • Bird bycatch reduced to very low
levels• South Georgia Patagonian toothfish
• IUU fishing• Traceability
Economic• Pacific cod (LL)
• New markets• Price increase at wholesale level
• Pacific albacore • New markets• Price increase at dock level
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Positive ImprovementsSocial
• Baja CA red rock lobster• Political visibility of fishing
community increasedPolicy
• South African hake• Bird by-catch measures adopted
throughout fleet• EUR herring
• More precautionary management policies
• Continue to meet MSC standard
Fisheries In MSC Program
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40-50Fisheries in
Pre -Assessment
119 Fisheries in
Full Assessment
92MSC
Certified Fisheries
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
0
50
100
150
200
250
Fishery Participation Over Time(last updated June 2010)
C...
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The best environmental choice in seafood
MSC-certified Supply• 12% of world’s edible wild
capture fisheries are now engaged.
• Over 5,000,000 Mt of seafood in total (>3 m MT in assessment).
• Species by category:• 42% of global salmon catch• 40% of global prime whitefish
catch (cod, pollock, hake, haddock, & saithe)
• 85% of global cold water shrimp catch (Canada & Oregon)
• 18% of global spiny lobster catch
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California Fisheries in MSC program• Albacore tuna
• Pacific hake• Others have completed pre-assessment
• Sussex England approach to network of fisheries
• Learning from other west coast fisheries
Considerations
TraceabilityMSC – Chain of Custody
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• MSC products can be traced back to MSC certified source fishery through our Chain of Custody certification.
• Chain of Custody is a requirement for any company that wants to sell and promote products as MSC certified.
Primary & Secondary Processors
Distributors and Importers
Retailers (Fresh Department)
• 3rd Party Independent audit by Certifying Bodies.
• Audit to make sure that companies have systems in place to keep MSC separate from non-certified fish.
Product Traceability MSC Chain of Custody Certification
Certified Secondary Processor
Certified Wholesaler/Distribu
tor
Certified Primary Processor
15The best environmental choice in seafood
Certified Fishery
MSC Labeled products>335 MSC labeled products in USNearly 3,500 MSC labeled products
world-wide
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24
63
Growth in countries carrying
MSC labeled prod-ucts
20062010
Jul-01Dec-01
May-02Oct-0
2
Mar-03
Aug-03Jan-04
Jun-04
Nov-04Apr-0
5Sep-05
Feb-06Jul-0
6Dec-06
May-07Oct-0
7
Mar-08
Aug-08Jan-09
Jun-09
Nov-090
5001000150020002500300035004000
MSC-labeled retail products growth over time
Commitments from USA Retail
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• World’s largest retailer, USA committed to sourcing 100% MSC certified seafood by 2011. (wild - fresh & frozen)
• now offering 30 seafood private label products with the MSC eco-label in more than 1,600 Target stores across the U.S.
• promotes MSC certified private label product line in +1000 stores across country.
• world’s largest organic food retailer, committed to sourcing and promoting MSC certified seafood in all stores.
Global Retail Commitments • Walmart, world’s largest retailer, committed to
sourcing 100% MSC certified seafood for wild, fresh & frozen, by 2011.
• Target now offering 15 seafood private label products with the MSC eco-label in more than 1,600 Target stores.
• Whole Foods, world’s largest organic food retailer, committed to sourcing and promoting MSC certified seafood in all stores.
• Loblaws, Canada’s largest retailer, committed to sourcing 100% MSC certified seafood for all departments by 2013.
• Mark’s & Spencer sets 100% MSC certified targets by 2012.
• Sainsburys to double number of MSC products in 2008. Addition of MSC to procurement policy, major consumer promotion in 2010.
• AEON, Japan’s largest retailer, launched 14 MSC products last December.
• The Netherlands: National retail (4500 stores) to only buy and sell 100% MSC certified seafood by 2011.
• Metro to have certified all their fresh fish counters for MSC Chain of Custody.
• Carrefour launches major MSC promotion in all global stores.
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Foodservice Reach
• US Foodservice - The 2nd largest food service distributor in USA,
launches MSC product line.
• Sodexo - World’s leading contract caterer now committed to sourcing MSC certified for all wild seafood purchases.
• Busch Gardens - Committed to only sourcing MSC certified seafood for all 10 theme parks.
• U. of Notre Dame - Will begin using MSC as the basis for their new sustainable seafood procurement program.
• US ‘Top 25’ seafood processors – Most are producing MSC foodservice products.
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MSC Certified Restaurants
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