“COVID-19 has turned
the world upside-down, but this dreadful crisis is also an opportunity — a
once-in-a-century chance for humanity to reboot, to reappraise what we really
value, and to shift our economies onto a sustainable and more equitable
footing,” says MSC CEO Rupert Howes. “We need to apply that same commitment
to the other big challenges facing us — including the existential threat of
climate change; and the need to provide food and sustainable livelihoods for a
growing global population, while restoring the health of the planet that all of
us depend upon. Ensuring thriving oceans for future generations is an essential
component of this.”
The Marine Stewardship Council is an environmental
not-for-profit that sets a global standard for sustainable
fishing.
By the end of March 2020, more than 400 fisheries were engaged in its
sustainable seafood certification programme, representing more than 17 percent
of the world’s wild marine catch. With 2 million tonnes more fish caught in
these fisheries than in the previous year, the number of MSC-labelled seafood
product lines is growing; as is the number of businesses involved in producing,
processing and sourcing these products.
Companies, consumers and the choices they make clearly have a vital part to play
in driving the changes needed to stop overfishing and safeguard seafood
supplies
for future generations. The number of MSC-labelled product lines stocked by
supermarkets and brands around the world is now double what it was five years
ago; and for the first-time, sales of MSC-labelled products this year passed the
$10 billion mark. The MSC credits the vision of its partners for this — the
retailers and brands, whose purchasing decisions and public commitments send a
message down the supply chain, as well as to the fisheries who are changing
their practises to meet MSC’s sustainability standard. The growth of the
eco-conscious seafood
consumer
is also something the MSC has been tracking in the largest seafood consumer
trends survey in the world. Carried out every two years by independent global
market research firm GlobeScan, this year’s survey covered consumers in 23
countries. It showed that sustainability is now ranking higher than price in the
motivators that seafood consumers say are important to them, making it the main
purchase motivator after quality issues (freshness, safety, health, taste).
Will ethically motivated companies and consumers abandon their principles,
though — if a pandemic-fuelled
recession
makes us all focus less on how the canned tuna and fish sticks we rely on were
caught, and more on what they cost?
the exciting potential of cultivated, fermented and plant-based protein innovation
Join us as Aleph Farms, the Better Meat Co, the Good Food Institute and Plantible Foods discuss the latest advancements in cultivated, plant-based, and fermentation-derived proteins — and how incorporating alternative proteins can help brands significantly reduce environmental impacts, while conserving natural resources — Tuesday, Oct. 15 at SB'24 San Diego.
“Our latest consumer trends survey was carried out just before the pandemic, but
all the signs we are seeing suggest that these trends will continue as people
reflect on what matters to them and place greater emphasis on health and
wellbeing,” Howes says.
The MSC’s view is that the threat to the oceans is huge, but change is possible.
A UN report released earlier this year showed that more than one in three of the
world’s fish stocks are now overfished, meaning that fish are being caught at
levels that make it hard for them to replenish. This is part of an ongoing
trend; the level of overfished stocks has increased since the UN last reported
on figures two years ago and is now at its highest level. Just last month,
another UN report set out damning evidence that none of the global targets set
10 years ago to protect the world’s biodiversity had been fully met.
But beneath the headlines, there were encouraging signs that progress is being
made towards the sustainable management and harvesting of fish on a global
level, and that sustainable fishing also supports the biodiversity of the wider
ocean. But the change clearly needs to happen faster, to meet the scale of the
challenges.
It is not just MSC that is calling for progress to speed up. NGOs, governments
and businesses are saying so, too: 2020 was slated to be a year for ocean
action, and 2021 marks the start of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development.
“The coming decade will be pivotal,” Howes says. “We have a route map agreed by
193 nations to fulfil the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030; including
Goal 14: Life Below
Water
— which calls on us all to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources. Let us use this opportunity to redouble our efforts and
deliver.”
To read more about the progress reported by the MSC, please visit
msc.org/annualreport.
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Marine Stewardship Council
Published Oct 1, 2020 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST