Marine Stewardship Council
Chain of Custody Certification

What is the MSC Certification Program? Steps to Chain of Custody Certification Alaskan Salmon - An MSC Certified Fishery Using the MSC logo

What is the MSC Certification Program?

Over-fishing now threatens the continued survival of fish stocks around the world and the 200 million jobs they sustain. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was created in 1996 by Unilever and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to devise a market incentive for fishery operations to reverse this trend. Now fully independent, the MSC offers real hope to the world's marine environment. Capitalizing on the vast surge of consumer concern about the state of our planet, the MSC has developed a labeling scheme for sustainable seafood products which provides a real incentive for fisheries, large and small, all over the world to be managed for the long-term.

The MSC 'eco-labeling' scheme is based around a set of 'Principles and Criteria', produced by MSC through an international consultation process, that describe indicators against which a fishery may be compared to enable it to make a claim that the fish it sells on to retailers, processors and consumers alike emanates from a well-managed and sustainable source.

An organization wishing to use/apply the MSC logo on packaging for seafood products must undergo Chain of Custody certification to ensure that the products are sourced from a sustainable fishery.

Steps to Chain of Custody Certification

If your organization purchases fish or wishes to purchase fish products from a fishery that has been certified as being "a well managed and sustainable fishery" under the MSC Sustainable Fisheries program, your company may be eligible to benefit from the application of the MSC Logo to the certified product. The Chain of Custody Certification conducted by Surefish verifies that the product originated in the certified fishery and has moved through the supply chain in a manner that ensures that it has not been adulterate with other non-certified product.

In the Chain of Custody Certification, a Surefish Assessor will verify the documentation and recording systems employed by your company to ensure that certified product is requested and received and that there is no opportunity for improper labeling of other non-certified product.

Click here for a Flow Chart of Chain of Custody Certification.
Click here for MSC Chain of Custody Standard.

Alaskan Salmon Fishery

The Alaska salmon fishery has become the first US fishery to receive the MSC label for sustainability. Because of its high-profile and the size of the fishery and its markets, Alaska salmon is an excellent vehicle to carry the message to consumers that their seafood choices can support healthier oceans, and a healthier environment. Over one dozen other fisheries around the world are already working to follow suit. To start the application process to carry the MSC logo, contact our office at 425-774-3015.

Using the MSC Logo

Once the certificate has been obtained, your organization's products are eligible to carry the MSC logo. In order to do so, the organization must comply with the requirements contained in the above document. The guidelines and regulations for using the MSC Logo are available here: Using the MSC Logo: Regulations and Guidelines for Application


For more information about the Chain of Custody Certification, contact our office at 425-774-3015 or email us at allison@surefish.com.

For more information about the Marine Stewardship Council, visit their website at www.msc.org.