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29 April 2014

Pre-MSC fisheries take the spotlight at MSC Developing World Fisheries Conference 2014

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has engaged with stakeholders at the recent MSC Developing World Fisheries Conference 2014 to create a better understanding of how fisheries can successfully improve towards MSC certification.

Engaging with Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) and fisheries improving towards MSC certification was the main theme of the one-day conference, which took place in Bali, Indonesia, last week. Speakers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), government organisations, MSC and others presented.

Sharing experiences and identifying needs

The conference was attended by over 100 developing world fisheries stakeholders, and brought together different organisations, including The International Pole and Line Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Greenpeace, USAID and UNDP, to share their experience of working with FIPs and fisheries that are improving towards MSC certification.

"We were able to identify key areas where support is needed to help FIPs progress towards certification and access the benefits of the MSC program, including capacity building and training in developing countries." explained Dr Yemi Oloruntuyi, Program Manager for Developing World Fisheries at the MSC.

Panel discussions covered a broad range of FIP-related topics, from case studies of fisheries successfully improving to certification, to the roles played by governments and the private sector.

New tools and initiatives for developing world fisheries

The MSC will continue to provide support to fisheries that hope to move towards MSC certification through active engagement with fisheries and the development of tools designed to help improve transparency and rigour of improvement initiatives, and allow FIPs to be benchmarked against the MSC’s fishery standard.

The MSC is committed to ensuring access for all fisheries seeking MSC certification. For small-scale and data-deficient fisheries, it has developed additional tools and guidance to support them and allow them to demonstrate their progress towards MSC certification.