Marine Stewardship Council: Sustainable Seafood in Asia

Non-profit sustainable seafood certification programmes are not just restricted to Europe and the United States. The Marine Stewardship Council is working with fisheries across Asia to ensure all commercial fishing is done responsibly

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel and certification programme recognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices by helping to create a more sustainable seafood market.

According to Sheryl Torres-Wu, the nonprofit organisation’s programme director for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, the average amount of seafood consumed by a Singaporean is 22 kilograms per year, a figure higher than most global averages.

Speaking at a luncheon at Grand Hyatt Hotel (which serves seafood certified sustainable by MSC and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the two organisations that set standards for sustainable fishing and aquafarming) organised especially to raise awareness about the need for sustainable seafood, Sheryl revealed that there are at least 15 species that are now sustainably sourced from fisheries certified by the MSC, including king prawns, lobster, abalone, and tuna.

To qualify for MSC’s certification, fisheries have to satisfy three core principles. Firstly, the fish that the fishery catches must have sustainable stocks. The fishing has to be at a level that ensures the fish population remains productive and healthy so that it can continue indefinitely. Secondly, there must be minimal environmental impact from the fishing activity. For this to happen, fishing activity needs to be managed carefully so that other species and habitats within the ecosystem remain healthy. Thirdly, the fishery must be well managed. Fisheries certified by MSC must comply with relevant laws and be able to adapt to changing environmental circumstances. Each stage of the production process, from the fishery, wholesaler to the retailer, must adhere to MSC’s principles of conduct. These principles help ensure that each fish can be traceable from a retail box to a seafood packaging factory and all the way to a fishing boat out in the ocean.

With 60 certified fisheries in

Asia Pacific, MSC hopes to cut down the consumer’s dependence on seafood caught through illegal fishing. One of its certified fisheries is Meiho Fishery, a pole-and-line skipjack and albacore tuna fishery located in Shiogama-city, Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. The first fishery in Tohoku (North East) and only the third fishery of any kind certified in Japan, Meiho Fishery was founded by Mr. Matsunaga after 16 years working in the seafood processing industry. Due to the shortage of skipjack tuna caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Matsunaga decided to start his own fishery instead. Meiho was certified by Acoura Marine, an independent certifier, who deemed it in compliance with MSC standards.