Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification
Sustainable Fisheries and the Seafood Chain-of-Custody
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Seafood Certification Team
Supplying the Sustainable Fish and Seafood Market
The market for sustainable seafood is growing as consumers are increasingly demanding to know their fish and seafood are sourced from responsible fisheries. Through Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, you can assure buyers and consumers that wild-capture fish and seafood were obtained from fisheries that conform to the world’s most rigorous and widely-respected standard for environmental sustainability.
We offer two types of MSC certification:
- Fisheries – Assesses the sustainability of marine and freshwater fisheries in three areas: stock health, environmental impacts, and effective management. Certified operations range from large commercial fisheries to small community-based operations located around the world.
- Chain of Custody – Assures that fish and seafood from MSC certified fisheries is tracked each step of the way from fishery to table. Certified companies include processors, traders, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and foodservice companies.
SCS Expertise
SCS was the first third-party certifier accredited under the MSC program. We bring decades of experience to the assessment of marine and freshwater fishery operations, as well as certification of seafood companies under the MSC Chain of Custody Standard for seafood traceability. We’ve worked across ocean basins, from Alaska to Antarctica and Indonesia to Central America. Our audits cover a wide variety of gear types such as purse-seine, longlines, bottom trawl, traps, and gillnets. All SCS certifications are competently executed, consistently standing up to scientific and stakeholder scrutiny.
- Fisheries
- Chain of Custody
- Process (Fisheries)
- Process (CoC)
- FAQs
- Documents
Eligibility. Any wild-capture fishery – regardless of size, scale, ecology, or geography – can seek certification, including:
- Freshwater or marine
- Single species or multiple species
- Trawl, longline, handraked or pots
- Inshore or offshore
- Pelagic or demersal
Eligible applicants include individuals, organizations, companies, government agencies, industry associations, and local management authorities.
Certification Criteria
Fisheries must meet or exceed the minimum requirements in the following three areas, called “principles”:
- Sustainability of target fish stock
- Ecosystem integrity
- Effective fishery management system
Pre-Assessment
A pre-assessment can be conducted to help you prepare your fishery operation for a full certification assessment. Through this gap analysis, you can gauge your operation’s likely conformity and identify any improvements needed.
Additional MSC certification program documents are available here.
Complementary Services. SCS is accredited to provide certification under the Fair Trade USA Wild Capture Fisheries standard. Ask us about combining certifications for greater cost savings and efficiency.
SCS Chain of Custody (CoC) certification provides accurate and efficient services globally to track sustainably sourced fish and seafood from the point of harvest through the supply chain to the customer.
Eligibility. Any supply chain partner that takes legal custody of fish or seafood from a certified fishery, with the intent to sell with a certified claim either to another business or to consumers, is eligible. This includes processors, packers and repackers, traders, food brands, retailers, restaurants, and other institutions.
Key Requirements. To be certified, your organization must have sufficient procedures and record keeping in place to demonstrate that:
- You have received certified seafood product directly from a certified fishery, farm, or chain-of-custody certified supplier.
- You have segregated certified seafood product from non-certified seafood while in your ownership. This includes identifying all risks of commingling certified with non-certified product, with controls in place to address those risks, and records to demonstrate those controls are effective.
- You have records that allow a link from sales of certified product back to your supplier receiving document.
Complementary Services. SCS is accredited to provide certification under additional fish certification programs, most notably, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Certified Seafood International (CSI) certification programs. In addition, we offer the convenience of combined MSC CoC audits with seafood safety auditing. Ask us about combined services for greater efficiency.
- Apply for Certification
Submit your application. You receive the SCS Assessment Services Agreement. Complete, sign, and return. - Prepare a Proposal
We prepare a proposal that includes the scope, costs and details of the audit. Authorize the work order, and schedule your evaluation audit. - Pre-Assessment (Optional)
SCS evaluates the qualifications of your fishery operation and determines what risks, if any, may limit your ability to successfully complete a rigorous and comprehensive assessment. - On-Site Audit
An independent assessment team reviews documentation, interviews stakeholders and evaluates your fishery against specific performance indicators that relate to the health of the stock, the impacts on the ecosystem and the management system structures and functions. - Audit Report and Public Comment
The SCS certification team then writes a draft report, which is reviewed by you and two independent peer reviewers. The report is then posted for public comment. - Certification Decision
After considering all comments, a final report is released that includes the final decision on whether or not to award certification. If no objections have been raised, the public certification report is published and your fishery receives a certificate from SCS. SCS can also provide client marketing support. - Annual Surveillance
Certification is valid for 5 years, subject to annual surveillance audits.
- Submit application
SCS prepares a proposal that includes the scope and cost of the audit. Sign and return the proposal to begin the project. - Pre-Audit
Become familiar with the requirements, then review your operations and develop additional procedures, training, and record keeping as needed to ensure you can demonstrate to an auditor that you have:- Received certified seafood product directly from a certified fishery, farm, or CoC certified supplier.
- Identified all risks of commingling certified with non-certified product, put controls in place to address those risks, and have records to demonstrate those controls are effective.
- Have records that link sales of certified product back to your receiving document (i.e., invoice) from the supplier.
- On-site Audit
Our auditor visits your facilities to review your control systems and records from a sample of transactions to verify traceability. The auditor then prepares an audit report. - Corrective Actions
Based on audit report findings, SCS issues corrective action requests as applicable. Your organization must respond to any non-conformities raised. - Certification Decision
We review the audit report as well as evidence that corrective actions have been taken before rendering a final certification decision. - Surveillance Audits
CoC certification is granted for three years and requires surveillance audits at 12 or 18 month intervals, determined based on the specific risks related to your operations.
What is the Marine Stewardship Council certification?
Fisheries are assessed against three MSC principles (stock health, environmental impacts, and effective management) to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. In addition, Chain of Custody (CoC) certification provides accurate and efficient services globally to track sustainably sourced seafood from the point of harvest, from MSC-certified sources.
What are the benefits of MSC certification?
MSC certification offers many benefits, which may include: Increased market access and market share; Price premiums; Internationally recognized ecolabel; Identify improvement opportunities; Maintain good relations with local communities; Access to government, development bank and other funding sources.
How does my company get certified?
The certification processes for both Fisheries and Chain of Custody certification are described under the Process tab on this webpage.
Do I need to be MSC certified?
Certification is entirely voluntary. However, if you wish to sell certified product with the MSC certification claim, either to business customers or consumers, then your operation and every upstream operation in the value chain must be certified.
What happens when I get MSC certified?
Successful applicants are issued an SCS Certificate that details the scope of their certifications, and are entitled to sell and promote their certified products using the MSC certification logo, in accordance with SCS and MSC logo and language guidelines. In addition, SCS can provide custom client marketing support.
Where can I find a full list of MSC Chain of Custody certified fisheries and companies?
For the most up-to-date information about certified fisheries as well as companies who have undergone Chain of Custody certification, visit the MSC Track a Fishery website: https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/
What types of fisheries has SCS certified?
Since the program began, we’ve certified hundreds of fisheries around the world. Examples include: Annette Island Reserve Salmon, Mexican Baja California Lobster, Mexican Gulf of California Sardines, Russian Iturup Island Salmon, US Atlantic Surf Clam and Ocean Quahog, US North Pacific Sablefish and Halibut.
When is a fishery pre-assessment needed?
The fishery pre-assessment serves as an initial gap analysis and readiness assessment. The resulting report either confirms readiness to progress into a public and transparent certification process or provides valuable insights into the development of a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP).
How much does certification cost?
The cost of certification assessment is determined based on the complexity of the operation in question, and the time required to complete the work. All work is conducted on a time and materials basis. Having an assessment conducted does not guarantee that a certificate will be issued. Companies applying for multiple SCS services enjoy price discounts due to efficiencies (e.g., MSC Chain of Custody and Seafood HACCP). Please ask your sales associate about the types of certifications that might benefit your company.
How long does certification take?
Customer service and responsiveness is our priority. For fisheries, a typical certification takes roughly 14 months to allow for required public stakeholder consultation and peer review. For chain of custody certification, we typically are able to send our auditors to your facility, provide you with an audit report, and make a certification decision within roughly 2 months.
| Document Name | Document |
|---|---|
| Benefits of MSC Sustainable Fishery Certification | English | Spanish |
| MSC Fisheries Certification Requirements and Guidance, V2.0 | English |
| MSC Fishery: Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing | Visit Site |
Seafood Certification Team
Featured Clients
To see a list of clients who are certified by SCS Global Services, click here
