2Sustain

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to sort fact from fiction when it comes to sustainable seafood.

For years now, researchers have been warning about the collapse of our marine ecosystems, and we’ve all seen the reports about the fisheries practices and failed management systems that have significantly depleted global fish populations. By some estimates, we’ve already pushed as much as 75% of the world’s fisheries beyond the limits of sustainability.

So, now a variety of ecolabels and sustainability certification programs have cropped up to help both consumers and seafood companies make purchasing decisions based on ‘green’ criteria. But, what exactly makes a credible and practical seafood ecolabel? Since there is no universally accepted label or certification program, how can buyers be confident in their choices?

The WWF recently took a hard look at seafood ecolabels and  sustainability certification programs and released its findings in a new report, “Assessment of On-Pack, Wild-Capture Seafood Sustainability Certification Programmes and Seafood Ecolabels.”

Prepared in partnership with Accenture, the report analyzed seven fishery certification schemes and found that:

• The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the only ecolabel that is structured to have the greatest impact on the sustainability of fisheries and marine ecosystems themselves. The MSC received top honors in the rankings, with a score of just over 95 percent compliance to the assessment’s criteria requirements.

• The other assessed schemes – Naturland, Friend of the Sea, Krav, AIDCP, Mel-Japan and Southern Rocklobster – do not evaluate fisheries across all criteria to the extent required to support sustainable fishing and healthy oceans.

• There are significant differences in transparency, information availability, structure and accuracy of claims made by each scheme.  And, even the ‘best-in-class’ MSC is not perfect. As a result, there is confusion –and a lack of confidence –among consumers and seafood companies searching for reliable, credible information to help make responsible choices.

The WWF says it will continue its efforts to implement sustainable fishing practices globally and to work with seafood buyers to use their purchasing power to secure seafood from sustainable sources and assess their current supply chain.

“The growth of seafood ecolabels over the last ten years attests to the strong demand from consumers and seafood companies who want seafood from better fisheries,” says Miguel Jorge, Director of WWF International’s Marine Programme. “But with the proliferation of ecolabels and the variability of these schemes there is a real risk of confusion, or worse still a lack of confidence in seafood ecolabelling among buyers and consumers.”

The full 146-page report is available here.