Big leap in wild-caught fish labelled sustainable

Almost a tenth of the world’s wild-caught fish is now certified as sustainable, a report by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said.

The proportion of the global catch labelled sustainable by the MSC – an international non-profit organisation – has almost doubled to 9.4% in 2015, from 5% in 2010, the group said, as it announced the winners in its annual UK awards.

In the UK, “huge steps” have been taken by retailers which means that one in every £6 spent on seafood now buys sustainable products, the MSC said.

Sainsbury’s won supermarket of the year for the third year running in the UK awards announced on World Ocean Day, becoming the first supermarket in the world with more than 200 products carrying the MSC “blue tick” ecolabel.

The global impacts report by the MSC reveals that there are now 281 fisheries in 33 countries which are certified as sustainable.

It highlights the work fishermen are doing to ensure stocks are sustainable, such as the Scottish haddock fishery where efforts are being made to reduce “bycatch” – fish accidentally caught when fishing for haddock.