September 29, 2014 — More fishermen are likely to say no to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) labeling unless the certification body reduces fees and also puts equal emphasis on economic and social sustainability.
That’s according to a representative of a major Belgian fish exporter, who also called for retailers and the foodservice industry to pay their share of certification costs.
Retailers are keen to have MSC product “but they don’t want to pay for it, they want you to pay for it,” said Philippe Moriau, managing director of Belgium Direct, an exporter of Belgian flatfish sourced from a group of Belgian fishermen. He wants retailers and hotels to pay a premium for MSC-certified product that would cover the expense of certification.
He thinks MSC is a “good idea in principle” because it promotes environmental sustainability and traceability — but it’s outside the reach of many fishermen, said Moriau. The eleven-vessel group he represents was unable to afford the cost of MSC certification, he said. The MSC certification process, he said, puts too much emphasis on ecological and not enough on socio-economic sustainability criteria. “If you’re scoring ten out of ten on economic sustainability and zero on social and economic sustainability [of a fishery] then it’s still a crap score.”
To improve the economic and social sustainability fishing enterprises like his have to move up the value chain to survive, said Moriau.
Read the full story from Seafood Source