A first for retail seafood in Australia - The Fish Shoppe located at the South Melbourne Market has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody.
When purchasing your seafood at the South Melbourne Market, head to The Fish Shoppe and look out for the MSC blue label tick and choose sustainably.
The MSC process certifies fisheries that harvest only from fish populations that are healthy and productive; a balancing act between how many fish are caught and how many are left to breed for another season. Having the MSC's blue fish label easily identifies that seafood has been caught or harvested sustainably.
Owner and fishmonger, Josh Pearce said: “We are extremely proud of this achievement, especially during Sustainable Seafood Week. This now means we carry seafood that has the MSC blue tick for sustainability. Our commitment to sustainable, traceable and ethically sourced seafood has been strengthened through the MSC process.
By choosing seafood with the MSC blue label you can be guaranteed that purchases from The Fish Shoppe support good fisheries management practices; helping to ensure fish stocks and habitats are healthy and fishing community livelihoods are secure. The Fish Shoppe’s MSC range is expanding with available seafood such as Albacore tuna, swordfish, pipis and toothfish all certified as sustainable”.
“All our other seafood also has sustainable classification through the Fisheries Research Development Corporation. We pride ourselves on knowing where your fish comes from, how it is caught and making sure the product quality is exceptional. We do this by actively working directly with the fishermen and women. We value quality over quantity and proudly only supply Australian and New Zealand seafood. This is a game changer, and we are excited to be the first seafood retail store in Australia to carry the blue tick”
Anne Gabriel, MSC Oceania Program Director said: “The oceans are being hit by a triple threat of climate change, overfishing and pollution. The efforts of ocean heroes such as Josh and Renee at The Fish Shoppe support our mission to end overfishing and ensure we can enjoy wild seafood forever. We’re super excited to see this leadership from The Fish Shoppe as Australia’s first independent fresh seafood shop to sell ocean friendly fish and shellfish from Australia and New Zealand. When you choose seafood with the blue MSC label at The Fish Shoppe you can feel good that your purchase is contributing to healthy oceans that in turn support livelihoods and food security."
