Advocating Wild contributes to MSC Standards Consultation.

Advocating Wild, through our alliance with the Coalition for Aquatic Conservation (CAC) have been provided the opportunity to comment on improvements to the Marine Stewardship Councils' (MSC) standards.

Proposed changes to standards include the following:

1. Supporting the prevention of gear loss and ghost fishing

Proposed revisions to the MSC Fisheries Standard will require fisheries to demonstrate how they are reducing the impact of gear loss and ghost fishing on the environment.

2. Shark finning: identifying further solutions

Seeks input from stakeholders to help MSC better understand whether stakeholders consider proposals to be an effective solution to provide confidence that shark finning is not occurring within MSC certified fisheries.

3. Reviewing Fisheries Standard (Principle 1) with a focus on harvest strategies

A harvest strategy is the combination of monitoring, stock assessment, harvest control rules and management actions that are required to bring about the sustainable management of the fishery. However, for certain stocks, such as shared or highly migratory stocks managed across multiple jurisdictions, the development and implementation of harvest strategies is particularly challenging.

MSC is reviewing whether its Principle 1 requirements need to change to recognise these challenges and respond to advances in science or global best practice.

This consultation is open to all stakeholders. https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/developing-our-standards

Image Credit: https://eradicateplastic.com/what-is-ghost-gear-and-why-is-it-so-harmful-to-marine-life/