MSC - Sustainable and certified fishing

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification is a tool to facilitate the evolution of seafaring and related industries towards sustainable fishing, in order to:

• ensure a future for the marine environment and the operators that depend on it
• diversify the fish product, associating it with a sustainability message from boat to plate
• ensure the sustainability of fishing for large retailers and buyers
• assure the consumers that the fish they are buying has been captured by applying the fishing methods that are suitable for the stock, the protected species and non-marine species, the marine mammals and other animals, as well as the environment as a whole
• assure the members of fishing organisations, institutional and non-interested actors of compliance with the applicable regulations.

Service Details

The Marine Stewardship Council certification consists of two independent standards:

• MSC Fishery - applicable to wildlife fisheries
• MSC Chain of Custody - applicable to the chains of products that originate from marine breeding or sustainable farming (certificates MSC Fishery or ASC - Acquaculture Stewardship Council).

Certification Procedure

The certificate release processes for the two standards are performed with the assistance of qualified auditors and fish industry professionals (biologists, veterinarians, fishermen experts, and regulators), and include the following steps:

MSC Fishery Standard:

• Optional pre-assessment
• full-assessment mandatory for the certification
• annual surveillance audits
• re-certification every five years

MSC Chain of Custody Standard:

• Certification audit
• surveillance audits with frequency defined at the time of assessment
• re-certification every three years

Why RINA?

RINA, with its reliable experience in the certification of fish products, is accredited for the MSC Chain of Custody standard, aimed at the chain of custody that ensures the traceability of certified fish.
Our extensive experience is demonstrated by the significant certification projects, such as Argentinian anchovy processing in Morocco, as well as numerous enterprise training and management projects in the fisheries sector for the regional administrations of Sicily, Sardinia and Puglia.

Q&A

What is the credibility level of MSC certification?
MSC certification is based on the most acclaimed environmental sustainability codes: FAO codes for sustainable fishing and ecolabelling; ISEAL code; WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.

What is the impact on the community?
The MSC programme seeks to involve all the stakeholders. Therefore, obtaining this certification will be a publicly appreciated and announced success.