Certification of Sustainable Fisheries
Assure buyers, retailers and general consumers that your wild-capture fishery conforms to internationally recognized standards for environmental sustainability with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. enviro LINK brings over ten years of successful certification experience to the assessment of your marine or fresh water fishery operation.
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Our MSC certifications are thorough and competently executed so that your certification stands up to stakeholder, scientific and industry scrutiny. We have successfully certified operations ranging from large commercial fisheries to small community-based operations – more than two million metric tons of fish and shellfish worldwide, from Alaska to Antarctica.
Program details - Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification
- Eligible Wild-Capture Fisheries :Any freshwater or marine fishery - regardless of size, scale, ecology, or geography - can seek certification. Eligible wild-capture fisheries include, but are not limited to:
- Single species and multiple species
- Trawl, longline, handraked and pots
- Freshwater and marine
- Inshore and offshore
- Pelagic and demersal
- Eligible applicants include individuals, organizations, companies, government agencies, industry associations and local management authorities. The MSC has a program specifically designed to facilitate the participation of developing countries in certification.
- Certification Criteria ; Fisheries must meet or exceed the minimum standards in the following three areas:
- Sustainability of target fish stock
- Ecosystem integrity
- Effective fishery management system
- Complementary Services : enviro LINK also offers the convenience of combined MSC Chain of Custody audits with HACCP inspections through our Seafood Safety auditing programs. We also provide custom services for retail clients interested in having their in-house seafood program standards validated.
- Aquaculture fish farms may be certified under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council Standards.
- MSC Pre-Assessments : We can conduct pre-assessments for your fishery operation in preparation for a full assessment. Pre-assessments allow clients to gauge their likely conformity to the MSC standard and identify any improvements needed. This allows clients to demonstrate their firm commitment to supplying MSC product to their buyers.
- A pre-assessment includes : Gap analysis of your operations against the standard
- Publication of a report identifying any areas of improvement
- MSC Full Assessments : We offer full assessments for fisheries ready to proceed through the full MSC certification process. The extent and cost of the full assessment will be contingent on the number and type of improvements identified through the pre-assessment.
Process - Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification
- Apply for Certification : Submit your application. You receive the enviro LINk Assessment Services Agreement. Complete, sign, and return.
- Prepare a Proposal : We prepare a proposal that includes the scope, costs and details of the audit. Authorize the work order, and schedule your evaluation audit.
- Pre-Assessment (Optional) : enviro LINK evaluates the qualifications of your fishery operation and determines what risks, if any, may limit your ability to successfully complete a rigorous and comprehensive assessment.
- On-Site Audit : An independent assessment team reviews documentation, interviews stakeholders and evaluates your fishery against specific performance indicators that relate to the health of the stock, the impacts on the ecosystem and the management system structures and functions.
- Audit Report and Public Comment : The enviro LINK certification team then writes a draft report, which is reviewed by you and two independent peer reviewers. The report is then posted for public comment.
- Certification Decision : After considering all comments, a final report is released that includes the final decision on whether or not to award certification. If no objections have been raised, the public certification report is published and your fishery receives a certificate from enviro LINK.
- Annual Surveillance : Certification is valid for 5 years, subject to annual surveillance audits.
Benefits
- A growing number of food retailers, restaurants and institutions are seeking MSC certified fish and seafood. Potential advantages of MSC certification include: Increased market access and market share
- Price premiums
- Internationally recognized ecolabel
- Identify improvement opportunities
- Increased employee satisfaction
- Maintain good relations with local communities
- Access to government, development bank and other funding sources
- Showcase improvements