MSC-label could extend to aquaculture

In a statement released yesterday, the MSC said it had received an increasing number of requests for the organisation to engage in aquaculture. As a result of this, the Board of the MSC has agreed to commission detailed and comprehensive stakeholder analysis to review its 2006 decision not to expand the scope of the labelling programme to encompass aquaculture products.

MSC stated: “We understand that the preparation of standards that can be applied to aquaculture has also progressed significantly since 2006 with, as widely reported in the trade press, several organisations now actively engaged in the development and launch of aquaculture standards including WWF.

“It is in response to these developments and also to the continued and growing need for aquaculture certification, that the Board of the MSC has agreed to commission detailed and comprehensive stakeholder analysis to review its 2006 decision and to ask if the MSC should seek to get involved in aquaculture certification.”

The investigation will also examine how an aquaculture certification programme could be realised; whether MSC should run such a programme itself, form a joint venture to manage such a programme, or merely provide certain services.