Support for sustainable fishing and seafood from retailers and consumers remains resilient despite ongoing cost of living crises globally according to the MSC’s latest Annual Report, Celebrating Leadership in Sustainable Fishing, released today, 15 October.
The number of fisheries engaged with the MSC program rose to 716 in 2023-24 from 674 in 2022-23. Together they caught 15.48 million tonnes – 19.3% of the total marine wild catch in 2023-24. 75% of the global, commercial whitefish catch, 91% of the commercial salmon catch and over half the commercial tuna catch are now engaged in the MSC program.
1.2 million tonnes of MSC labelled seafood was sold in the year to March 2024, amounting to a total retail value of US$13.4bn. Notably, there was strong market growth in the USA (5.2%), France (5.8%) and Italy (10.3%) as well as Poland (15.7%) and central Europe (9.7%), while in Asia, sales grew by 35% in South Korea and 20% in China.
An important factor in driving this growth is consumers’ attitudes to environmental sustainability. Details of independent consumer insights research commissioned by the MSC in 2024 is highlighted in the report. It shows that consumers care more than ever about the health of the oceans. Of the 20,000 seafood consumers surveyed, almost half (48%) said they were concerned about overfishing, and two-thirds said they wanted to protect the ocean. Increasingly they are making changes to their diets for environmental reasons, and a quarter (27%) said they would eat more seafood in the future if they knew it wasn’t causing harm to the ocean.
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the Marine Stewardship Council, said: “Despite the difficult economic conditions of the last year, we’ve seen remarkable resilience and stability in the sustainable seafood sector. This would not have been the case in the absence of the continued leadership and engagement of the fishing industry and the determination of the market to continue to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable seafood choices.
“The latest figures from the UN report an increase in overfished stocks and a reduction of the overall landings from sustainably managed stocks. The trends are sadly moving in the wrong direction. With the added threat of climate change - already impacting on fish stock health and migration patterns - it is vital that we re-double our efforts to manage global fisheries sustainably to safeguard the ocean, its biodiversity and seafood supplies for future generations.”
The MSC’s new report outlines the organisation’s impact over the past year and includes data about fisheries and some of the improvements they make to safeguard the marine environment. The total number of documented improvements made by MSC fisheries since the program began had reached 2,362 by 31 March 2024. It includes efforts like modifying fishing gear and, improving knowledge to reduce fishing impact on ecosystems and non-target species.
In addition, the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) awarded over $1.67million in grants in 2023. The OSF helps to support fisheries on their pathway to sustainability, and to fund and drive research and innovation to improve performance and reduce impact. To date, it has awarded over $6.43million.
Fisheries that have been certified to the MSC Standard contribute to the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG14, and address the mounting pressure on our ocean.