Label Mouse says:
This one is all about wild caught fish, the ASC is the farmed fish version. Depending on the species, wild caught isn't the greatest for long term sustainability - so bare that in mind when selecting this label.
Individual fishers or vessels cannot be MSC certified, only fishing operations. This means fisheries can go out and fish for both MSC certified and non-certified catch but only on separate trips.
In practice means that these tuna fisheries can fish sustainable on free-swimming shoals and receive MSC certification for fish caught that way, but the same vessels and crews, often on the same trip, also fish unsustainably on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) hauling up turtles, sharks and juvenile fish alongside their target catch.
The MSC label was established to be a tool for good in protecting fish stocks and marine ecosystems. Many MSC-certified fisheries do represent best practice, and broadly speaking, it is still advisable for consumers to buy MSC-labelled fish. However, there are certified fisheries that are a long way from sustainability where seriously harmful practices continue.
They promise:
The blue MSC label is only applied to wild fish or seafood from fisheries that have been certified as complying to a set of requirements for sustainable fishing.
Fish and seafood with the blue label comes from a fishery that has been independently assessed on its impacts to wild fish populations and the ecosystems they're part of.
Businesses are audited on an annual basis and subject to unannounced audits, to ensure they are conforming to requirements on traceability, labelling and separation.
There are a lot of food labels out there, but its pretty unclear what they mean.
With the UK leaving the EU we're able to define our own regulations on how our food is produced, the impact on the environment and how the animals involved are cared for. This could be a good or a bad thing. The extra player in the mix is that brands are introducing their own schemes which can appear more eco-friendly than they actually are.
Label Mouse does the research to help you make more informed buying choices. Hope it's useful.
Suggestions and support welcome!
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