The support for sustainable fishing and seafood from retailers and consumers remains resilient despite ongoing cost of living crises, according to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)’s latest Annual Report, titled “Celebrating Leadership in Sustainable Fishing”.
In 2023-24, the number of fisheries engaged with the MSC programme rose to 716, up from 674 in 2022-23. Collectively, they caught 15.48 million tonnes, which equated to 19.3% of the total marine wild catch. The report also finds that 75% of the global, commercial whitefish catch, 91% of the commercial salmon catch and over half the commercial tuna catch are now engaged in the programme.
It also determines that 1.2 million tonnes of MSC-labelled seafood was sold in the year to March 2024, and this had a total retail value of US$ 13.4 billion. Notably, there was strong market growth in the United States (5.2%), France (5.8%) and Italy (10.3%) as well as Poland (15.7%) and central Europe (9.7%), while in Asia, sales grew by 35% in South Korea and 20% in China.
MSC said an important factor in driving this growth is consumers’ attitudes to environmental sustainability. Citing consumer insights research commissioned by MSC in 2024, the report notes that consumers care more than ever about the health of the oceans.
Of the 20,000 seafood consumers surveyed, 48% said they were concerned about overfishing, and two-thirds said they wanted to protect the ocean.
Increasingly they are making changes to their diets for environmental reasons, and 27% said they would eat more seafood in the future if they knew it wasn’t causing harm to the ocean, notes the non-profit organisation.
“Despite the difficult economic conditions of the last year, we’ve seen remarkable resilience and stability in the sustainable seafood sector. This would not have been the case in the absence of the continued leadership and engagement of the fishing industry and the determination of the market to continue to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable seafood choices,” MSC Chief Executive Rupert Howes said.
“The latest figures from the UN report an increase in overfished stocks and a reduction of the overall landings from sustainably managed stocks. The trends are sadly moving in the wrong direction. With the added threat of climate change – already impacting on fish stock health and migration patterns – it is vital that we re-double our efforts to manage global fisheries sustainably to safeguard the ocean, its biodiversity and seafood supplies for future generations.”
MSC’s new report also outlines the organisation’s impact over the past year and includes data about fisheries and some of the improvements they make to safeguard the marine environment. The total number of documented improvements made by MSC fisheries since the programme began had reached 2,362 by 31 March 2024. Efforts include modifying fishing gear and improving knowledge to reduce fishing impact on ecosystems and non-target species.
Additionally, MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) awarded over $1.6 million in grants in 2023. This fund helps support fisheries on their pathway to sustainability, and to fund and drive research and innovation to improve performance and reduce impact. To date, it has awarded over $6.4 million.
