Saving Seafood

MSC labelled products reach 20,000

February 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

LONDON – Today the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) reached an important milestone with the launch of the 20,000th MSC labelled product, Las Cuarenta Paella. The ready-made frozen meal is now available in Netto stores across Germany. The paella contains pollock from Alaska and Russia, blue shell mussels from Denmark, and shrimps from Suriname. 

A growing trend in new seafood products

The paella’s seafood mix comes from a diverse range of fisheries, from a developing world fishery in South America, to some of the world’s largest fisheries in North America and Europe. Each of these fisheries is committed to ensuring the health and sustainability of the fish stocks they harvest

“The 20,000th MSC labelled product, Las Cuarenta Paella, illustrates the growing trend in new seafood products. Over the last decade, we’ve seen new and novel ways MSC certified seafood is being used. From ready-made meals such as paella to sandwiches, pizza and baby food. Las Cuarenta paella is a fine example of how retailers and manufacturers are exploring new trends to attract more sustainable seafood lovers,” said Nicolas Guichoux, MSC’s Global Commercial Director. 

Thanks to the efforts of these and over 280 other certified fisheries, consumers in over 100 countries can choose from a variety of MSC labelled products covering more than 100 different species. Consumers can also be assured that MSC certified seafood has an effective, traceable supply chain which ensures the integrity of MSC labelled products.

“Nine years ago only 1,000 labelled products were on the market globally. So we celebrate this new important milestone, and honor all fisheries and retail partners whose commitment to sustainability has contributed to the growth of the MSC program around the world and played a part in securing a healthy future for our oceans,” added Nicolas Guichoux.

MSC in Germany

Germany is the MSC’s most developed market in terms of certified sustainable seafood consumption, with over 4,000 MSC certified products on sale. Netto is one of many retail partners committed to sourcing and selling MSC certified products in the country. The discounter offers a wide range of responsibly sourced seafood with more than 100 MSC-labelled products in store. Netto has made a long-term commitment to only source and sell seafood– from MSC certified sustainable fisheries. 

“We are very proud that the 20,000th MSC labelled product is a Netto product. With the growing availability of MSC certified seafood from a variety of species, we’ve been able to expand our range of products so that our customers can buy their favorite seafood in the knowledge that the environment is being safeguarded. MSC certified products play an important role in our corporate sustainability agenda,” said Christina Stylianou, Corporate Communications Director at Netto.

A label you can trust

The blue MSC label assures consumers that the fish they are buying comes from a sustainable and well-managed fishery that has been independently certified, ensuring that the fish populations and the ecosystems upon which they depend remain healthy and productive.

Any organization selling or handling MSC certified seafood must ensure that it is correctly labelled and kept separate from other non-certified seafood at all times. This ensures that MSC labelled seafood can be traced back to a sustainable source.

You can find these products in-store, online and in restaurants.

MSC certified Pharma Marine launches sustainably sourced CodMarine Oil in North America

November 18, 2015 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Norway’s Pharma Marine AS, a leader in the production of premium quality fish oils and omega-3 concepts, and Healthy Directions, a direct-to-consumer nutritional supplement retailer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ: HELE), have launched the sustainably sourced supplement, Dr. Williams CodMarine® Oil, for the first time in North America. The omega-3 sources in the oil product are fully traceable to sustainable and well-managed Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries. The MSC is the world’s most recognized certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood.

Pharma Marine’s CodMarine Omega-3 Fish Oil

MSC certification underscores Pharma Marine’s core values of caring for natural resources and people in a responsible and sustainable manner and supporting healthy oceans. Based on the west coast of Norway near a region where marine oil production dates back more than 130 years, Pharma Marine, an innovator in marine lipids, recently expanded its technologically advanced facility to enable the increased production of premium quality EPA and DHA products from fresh or frozen wild-caught fish. Pharma Marine’s sustainably sourced fish oil product, CodMarine, is traceable to MSC certified fisheries including North East Arctic cod, haddock and saithe.

Leif Kjetil Gjendemsjo, owner of Pharma Marine, said, “We are proud to introduce our sustainably sourced CodMarine product to the U.S. market and help consumers to make a difference and contribute to the health of the world’s oceans. The blue MSC ecolabel on each bottle provides assurance that there is complete traceability of CodMarine fish oil to sustainable and well-managed fisheries.”

Healthy Directions

Pharma Marine’s CodMarine Omega-3 Fish Oil is available in the U.S. through Healthy Directions’ Dr. Williams brand. In line with Healthy Directions’ mission of helping people to lead healthier lives through the core values of responsibility, integrity, and continuous innovation, Dr. Williams has added CodMarine Oil to his product line to offer a sustainable omega-3 fish oil solution to his customers. The expanded line of sustainably sourced supplements offers options to support cardiovascular and other health benefits.

Connie Hallquist, President of Healthy Directions, said, “We are pleased to offer Dr. Williams’ CodMarine Oil to the U.S. market as we work to ensure we are providing innovative and sustainable solutions for consumers. The blue MSC ecolabel enables consumers to make a difference by choosing fish oil that can be traced back to a sustainable fishery.”

MSC certification ensures traceability

The MSC maintains two global standards, one for evaluating the sustainability of fisheries and one for ensuring that seafood products carrying the blue MSC ecolabel are traceable to MSC certified fisheries. To ensure traceability through every step in the chain, Pharma Marine earned MSC Chain of Custody certification, which provides assurance that MSC certified seafood is not mixed with or substituted for non-certified seafood. MSC certification also ensures that seafood products that bear the blue MSC ecolabel can be traced back to a fishery that has been certified as sustainable and well managed against the global, science based MSC Fishery Standard.

“We congratulate Healthy Directions and Pharma Marine on the introduction of the sustainably sourced CodMarine fish oil supplement product to the U.S. market,” said Michael Griff, MSC senior commercial manager, Americas. “By looking for and choosing the blue MSC ecolabel, consumers are able to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for this and future generations.”

Celebrating 15 years of sustainable seafood: MSC’s Annual Report 2014-15

October 13, 2015 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has today released its annual report, marking 15 years since the launch of the transformational program rewarding and incentivising sustainable fishing.

The 2014-15 Annual Report, Celebrating 15 years of certified sustainable seafood, showcases industry leaders working to safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Fisheries which meet the MSC’s high standard of sustainability now catch close to nine million metric tonnes of seafood, representing almost 10% of the total global wild-caught seafood supply. This includes nearly half (45.9%) of the global whitefish catch. Seafood retailers and restaurants now sell over 17,000 products with the MSC ecolabel and more than 34,000 business locations are part of the MSC Chain of Custody, ensuring a traceable global supply chain.

“This growth and momentum, through the leadership of our partners, is driving lasting change in the way our oceans are fished, rewarding good practice and catalysing improvements where needed to meet the growing global demand for certified sustainable seafood” says MSC CEO, Rupert Howes.

This year, the MSC updated its Fisheries Standard to ensure it reflects the latest science and best management practices widely adopted by the world’s leading fisheries. A growing evidence base, captured in the MSC’s 2015 Global Impacts Report, also shows that MSC certified fisheries are maintaining healthy fish populations and effectively managing their impacts on habitats and ecosystems.

“The MSC is a learning organisation and we’ve invested heavily in strengthening the rigour of our program and building our evidence base on how our partners are delivering positive outcomes for our oceans” adds Mr Howes.

On the market side, the report acknowledges the bold global commitment by IKEA to only sell and serve certified sustainable seafood throughout its more than 370 stores, and the Iglo Group’s 100% sustainable fish commitment. This year also marked the MSC’s arrival in a new market with MSC certified products on sale in South Korea thanks to seafood processor Hansung and Lotte Mart, the country’s largest retailer.

“Market demand for sustainable seafood is helping to drive positive change in how our oceans are fished and managed. As more retailers and processors choose MSC certified seafood, other fisheries are encouraged into MSC assessment to meet the opportunities that higher demand for sustainable seafood can deliver” adds Mr Howes.

In 2014-15, 40 new fisheries achieved MSC certification and over 70 entered full assessment. These fisheries included artisanal fishing communities alongside large scale commercial fishing operations. The report highlights two pioneers, the first certified fisheries in India and China – the Ashtamudi clam and Zoneco scallop fisheries. Around 1,000 people depend on the Kerala-based clam fishery for their livelihoods, while the Chinese scallop fishery employs more than 20,000 fishers through a cooperative, and covers more than half a million hectares of the North Yellow Sea.

Two decades on from the collapse of the Grand Banks cod fishery in Newfoundland, the report highlights the commitments of fisheries in the Northern Hemisphere which are helping ensure the ongoing productivity of northern waters: 97% Canadian Atlantic lobster is now MSC certified; 87% of Alaska’s fisheries, by volume, are MSC certified; and the Iceland Sustainable Fisheries group is seeking MSC certification for all its commercial fisheries.

Consumers in close to 100 countries can now choose from more than 100 different certified seafood species, with an estimated US$4.5 billion spent globally by consumers on MSC labelled products in 2014-15.

View a PDF of the full annual report