Marine Stewardship Council Brochures

Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries Certification

The SCS Marine Fisheries Certification Program recognizes well-managed fisheries that conform to the international standards of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent, non-profit initiative, designed to recognize and reward sustainable fishing practices and business operations and to assist the marketing of seafood products from such fisheries through use of the MSC eco-label. Certified MSC fisheries are those that maintain healthy populations of targeted species, protect the integrity of ecosystems and balance biological, social and commercial interests.

Core MSC Principles To achieve MSC certification, fisheries must demonstrate they meet three core principles: Principle 1: Sustainable Fish Stocks Fishing activity must be at a level that is sustainable for the fish population. Certified fisheries must operate so that fishing can continue indefinitely without overexploiting resources.

Benefits of MSC Certification • Assure buyers of your fishery’s commitment to sustainability • Gain a competitive edge by meeting buyer demand for certified products • Secure fish stocks for the future • Protect the marine environment • Safeguard jobs through good management practices

Who Should Seek MSC Certification Any wild-capture freshwater and marine fishery – regardless of size, scale, ecology geography or technology – can seek MSC certification.

Eligible wild-capture fisheries include, but are not limited to: • Single species and multiple species • Trawl, longline, handraked and pots • Freshwater and marine • Inshore and offshore • Pelagic and demersal

Principle 2: Minimizing Environmental Impacts Fishing operations should be managed to maintain the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem on which the operations depend.

Principle 3: Effective Management Fisheries must meet all local, national and international laws and must have a management system in place to respond to changing circumstances and maintain sustainability.

Pure aquaculture fisheries are not within the scope of the MSC assessment.

www.SCScertified.com/msc Dr. Sabine Daume, MSC Certification Program Manager +1 510.452.6388 sdaume@scscertified.com Jason Swecker, MSC Certification Coordinator +1 510.452.8043 jswecker@scscertified.com

Certification for a Sustainable World™ Providing global leadership in independent, third-party certification, auditing, testing and standards development for more than 25 years.

Why Choose SCS

MSC Certification Process

Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) has more than 25 years of experience certifying environmental, social, health and safety claims and is recognized globally for integrity, scientific rigor and true independence. As the first certifier to be MSC-accredited 10 years ago, SCS has the experience, knowledge and professionalism to skillfully guide you through the assessment process.

The MSC Sustainable Fisheries Certification Program requires that all fisheries undergo a pre-assessment evaluation prior to proceeding to a full assessment.

• Professional Expertise – SCS provides unmatched professional expertise and extensive knowledge. Since 2000, SCS has certified more than two million metric tons of fish and shellfish.

• Personalized Attention – SCS offers one-on-one personalized service tailored to meet your needs.

• Exceptional Value – SCS provides an efficient audit at a competing price.

SCS has conducted dozens of MSC pre- and full assessments worldwide covering more than 400 fisheries including the dungeness crab fisheries in Oregon and California, the British Columbia salmon fisheries and the Alaska salmon fisheries.

From some of the largest, commercial fisheries (Bearing Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska pollock fisheries) to small, community-based fisheries (South Australia’s Lakes and Coorong fishery, Mexico’s spiny lobster fishery), SCS has the experience to successfully conduct complex and simple assessments alike.

SCS also certifies seafood companies to the MSC Chain of Custody standard for seafood traceability.

Pre-Assessment SCS evaluates the fishery’s qualifications and determines what risks, if any, may limit the fishery’s ability to successfully complete a rigorous and comprehensive assessment. Preassessment service costs are lower than the full assessment.

The results, which remain confidential, help fisheries better understand the process and to plan for improvements before entering the full assessment process.

Full Assessment SCS conducts a full fishery assessment, following procedures described in the MSC’s Fisheries Assessment Methodology.

An independent assessment team reviews documentation, interviews stakeholders and evaluates fisheries against specific performance criteria. These criteria relate to health of the stock, impacts on the ecosystem and management system structures and functions. An assessment report is posted for public comment prior to a final decision on whether or not to award certification. Additional full assessment details are available at www.msc.org/get-certified/fisheries/assessment.

Post-Assessment Certification, once awarded, is valid for a period of five years during which time annual surveillance audits are required to ensure continued compliance with the MSC standards.

www.SCScertified.com 2200 Powell Street, Suite 725 • Emeryville, California 94608 Tel: 510.452.8000 • Fax: 510.452.8001 • Toll Free: 1.800.Eco.Fact

Marine Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification

The SCS Marine Fisheries Certification Program recognizes sustainable, well-managed fisheries and seafood suppliers that conform to the international standards of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent initiative designed to recognize and reward sustainable fishing practices and to assist the marketing of certified seafood products through use of the MSC eco-label. Certified MSC fisheries are those that maintain healthy populations of targeted species, protect the integrity of ecosystems and balance biological, social and commercial interests.

The MSC Chain of Custody standard for seafood traceability ensures that the MSC label is only displayed on seafood from MSC certified fisheries. To become Chain of Custody certified, seafood handlers must develop a comprehensive set of procedures to maintain control of MSC certified material from purchase to sale, keep accurate records of all procedures and ensure the MSC label is affixed only to MSC certified seafood.

Why Choose SCS

• Professional Expertise – SCS provides unmatched professional expertise and extensive knowledge.

• Personalized Attention – SCS offers one-on-one personalized service tailored to meet your needs.

• Exceptional Value – SCS provides an efficient audit at a competing price.

SCS also offers the convenience of combining MSC Chain of Custody audits with HACCP inspections.

Benefits of MSC Certification With consumer demand for sustainable seafood ever increasing, the best way to meet that demand and credibly demonstrate your commitment to sustainability is to source, label, sell and promote MSC certified products.

By becoming MSC certified, your business will be able to:

Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) has more than 25 years of experience certifying environmental, social, health and safety claims and is recognized globally for integrity, scientific rigor and true independence. As the first certifier to be MSC accredited 10 years ago, SCS has the experience, knowledge and professionalism to skillfully guide you through the assessment process.

• Assure buyers and customers your company is committed to sustainability • Gain a competitive edge in the marketplace by meeting customer demand for certified products • Help protect the marine environment and secure fish stocks for the future

www.SCScertified.com/msc Dr. Sabine Daume, MSC Certification Program Manager +1 510.452.6388 sdaume@scscertified.com Jason Swecker, MSC Certification Coordinator +1 510.452.8043 jswecker@scscertified.com

Certification for a Sustainable World™ Providing global leadership in independent, third-party certification, auditing, testing and standards development for more than 25 years.

Who Should Seek MSC Certification?

In order to ensure only seafood from MSC certified fisheries bares the MSC logo, all businesses in the supply chain are required to be MSC Chain of Custody certified. Types of businesses include, but are not limited to: • Restaurants

• Wholesalers

• Grocers

• Distributors

• Caterers

• Brokers

• Processors

• Cold Stores

MSC Certification Process 1. Communicate Internally and Apply Complete an application and receive guidance from SCS. Educate your staff and colleagues about MSC and appoint a lead person to organize the program.

2. Establish Procedures for a Desk Review Create specific MSC procedures that ensure traceability of certified product through receipt and processing to sale.

Submit procedures to the SCS auditor who will, in turn, determine your company’s readiness for an audit.

3. Audit When your company is ready for the audit, the SCS auditor will then visit your facilities, review your control systems and prepare an audit report.

4. Records Review & Certification SCS will review the audit report for compliance with the MSC Chain of Custody standard and make a certification determination including any requests for corrective action.

5. Product Labeling and Maintenance Once certified, your company can begin promoting and selling MSC certified products. Additionally, your business may enter in to a license agreement with MSC if it wishes to use the MSC logo on packaging or in promotions. MSC Chain of Custody certification is granted for three years and requires annual audits.

www.SCScertified.com 2200 Powell Street, Suite 725 • Emeryville, California 94608 Tel: 510.452.8000 • Fax: 510.452.8001 • Toll Free: 1.800.Eco.Fact