Resources to Make the Most of Your MSC Fisheries Certification

What You Can Expect After Certification

Announcing Your Certification 

We announce newly certified fisheries on our website, msc.org, and would like to collaborate with you  craft a press release and create a distribution plan. When the time comes, we’ll connect you with our Media Manager and talk about getting images that show off your fishery in action.

Celebrating Your Certification

If your fishery achieves MSC certification, we would be thrilled to celebrate with you. Celebrations can range from a simple lunch or dinner to a big launch event. Let us know what works best for you! See below for examples of how we’ve celebrated other MSC certified fisheries.

• Prestige Oysters: Sustainable Success After the Storm
• The Long Future of Squid
• From Collapse to Conservation
• Salmon First
• West Coast Groundfish: An American Success Story in the Making
• Fish in a cold climate: How the ice fishers of Waterhen Lake are charting a sustainable future

Sharing your commitment with your network

In addition to our website, we will share the news of your certification on all our social media channels. That includes our global Twitter and Instagram and our USA Facebook page. We’d love to connect with you on social media, so the Marketing and Communications team will reach out to get all your information at that time.

Expanding your market and selling your catch

The Fisheries Outreach team is here to help you get connected with different market opportunities. We’ll send you a questionnaire to learn a little bit more about where you currently sell and what your dream market is so we can do our best to make it happen.

Quick Links to Useful Documents and Tools

MSC Certified Seafood Suppliers 

The MSC Find A Supplier page offers partners the ability to find businesses with MSC Chain of Custody Certification that offer MSC certified seafood. You can search by location, species, and business activity to find the organization that meets your needs. The search will list a company contact if it has been provided to us. Please note that only the headquarter location for each certification holder is listed and may not provide all certified sites or their distribution/reach. If you can't find what you're looking for, please reach out to your regional MSC commercial contact. 

The Lifecycle of Your Certification 

Marketing Toolkits and Assets

MSC marketing materials, toolkits, videos, images, and infographics are available on our Multimedia Library. These resources are available for certified partners who have signed a licensing agreement to help them educate their audiences on their commitment to healthy oceans and seafood for the future. Apply for a user account today! Check out MSC partner marketing case studies for stories on how MSC and our partners have promoted their certified products. 

You can also take a look at our Marketing Resource page, which has the latest campaign toolkits and some simple messaging and assets you can use on your website, advertising, or social media channels.

Funding

As an MSC partner, funding through The Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) is available to you. The OSF aims to increase the number of sustainable fisheries worldwide. We are accelerating progress by funding innovative research and supporting fisheries at all stages on the path to sustainability.  

Since the Ocean Stewardship Fund first launched in 2019, we’ve awarded 35 grants spanning over 15 countries, totaling £1.3 million to date. From trialing innovative bycatch reduction models in Iceland to supporting sustainability improvements in a small-scale red sea urchin fishery in Mexico.

There are 3 funding programs within the Ocean Stewardship Fund:

• Recertification Assistance Funds: The Recertification Assistance Fund is aimed at fisheries that have shown a substantial commitment toward sustainability and the MSC program by supporting them with the costs of their 2nd recertification. Any MSC certified fishery that has had its public certification report (PCR) published within the last 12 months for its 2nd or subsequent recertification is eligible to apply.
• Science and Research Fund: The Science and Research Fund is aimed at fisheries that have already achieved MSC certification, but which have conditions they must meet to retain their certificate, or other areas they must improve, to achieve best sustainability practice. These improvements are often only possible through carrying out scientific research. 
• Transition Assistance Fund: The Transition Assistance Fund is open to all small-scale and Global South fisheries that are participating in MSC’s In-Transition to MSC (ITM) Program. This Program offers fisheries in Fishery Improvement Projects an independent verification of their progress as they move toward MSC certification.
  

Newsletters

We recommend signing up for our North American quarterly newsletter. This newsletter contains the latest program updates from the US and Canada, upcoming opportunities and events, new assets and resources for partners, and other important information that will help you make the most of your MSC certification. Sign up here.

If you want to stay up to date on the latest fisheries news, you can also sign up for our bi-weekly fisheries update. 

Have a question that wasn’t answered here?

Your local MSC Fisheries Manager is available to help answer your questions or direct you to the right individual. Find your local contact on our website here.

If you have questions about the MSC in general, visit our FAQ page.