"We are commited to the idea of certification.

We aim to have 70% of our lines MSC certified by the end of 2009” 

 The MSC Marine Stewardship Council is a certification system for assessing the sustainability of a fishery.  It is based on a client-system basis whereby a client which can be a group of fishermen or various associations of fishermen or just one applies to the MSC to be certified.  The certification is extremely detailed, complex and involves a large number of stakeholders – the management system, the methods used, by-catch, ecological impact are all assessed.  The fishery is given a point score and often obliged to take remedial actions or encouraged to make improvements.  The actual audit is not carried out by the MSC themselves but by separate accredited auditing companies.  It is a very transparent system with reports available on the website, various stages of the process announced, opportunity to feedback, etc. We joined the MSC for a number of reasons.  First as an organic company we obviously recognise the principal of an outside organisation veryfying our sustainability claim and understand the need to have a logo that consumers can trust and learn to recognise.   Second we feel that the MSC can push the whole industry along the way into greater sustainability, for example fisheries that are applying may need to change certain practises, management bodies may need to provide better control or statistics and non-certified fisheries will be embarassed into taken sustainabiltiy more seriously.

 These are all vital advantages for better sustainability practises in general.   Third we joined for commercial reasons so as to avoid knee-jerk criticism from certain type of customers or commentators and above all because in 2008 a sufficient number of fisheries singed up to make it a viable option. There are criticisms of the MSC.  These tend to divide into three categories: a) cost b) monopoly and c) disputes about sustainability.  On the cost front, many fisheries balk at the cost and lack of perceived benefit: the MSC is essentially being pushed top-down, i.e. from retailers, and if you are essentially a sustainable fishery to be asked to pay to pay to show it whilst not been offered a better price is of course discouraging..  There are aids for certification and this comment in the end does not sufficiently understand the position of the consumer – who needs a fast and simple way of ok’ing a purchase.   The monopoly or competition issue is also important: no-one wants a gate-keeper through which everything and everyone has to pass.  The advantage though of one recognised logo is again significant.   With respect to arguments over sustainability, we are sensitive to disputes and it is unlikely that everyone will agree always.  In fact constructive criticism, dispute and debate, and the vigilance of other sustainability experts, is a positive contribution to the certification system. At Fish4Ever we will not always or automatically choose an MSC source.  This might be for availability reasons or for other commercial reasons.  We might think our own source is just unbeatably good or we may have other criteria to worry about – social issues, questions about packing, even a difference of opinion on sustainability.