Updated MSC Fisheries Certification Requirements Incentivise Review of Bycatch Practices

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) recently reviewed its Fisheries Standard to ensure that it continues to reflect international best practice in fisheries management and scientific understanding.

The resulting new requirements relating to bycatch draw on accepted best practice, such as the FAO International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards, to provide fisheries with an additional incentive to review and implement ‘alternative measures’ to minimise mortality of unwanted catches to the extent practicable. To achieve an unconditional pass, reviews need to take place regularly and the fishery must also implement the measures if they are shown to be more effective at minimising mortality of unwanted catches than what they currently do, as well as practical and cost effective to implement.

In order to assist both fisheries and assessment bodies with finding these ‘alternative measures’ the MSC, in collaboration with New England Aquarium, are currently developing an online searchable database of global bycatch mitigation and avoidance techniques: the Bycatch Information Exchange (BIE). The BIE will also help fishers, fisheries managers, NGOs and researchers more widely by providing a source of information on tools already trialled and adopted and providing links to possible collaborators, further research opportunities and funding.