A recent report has raised concerns on Apr. 18 that the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability certification may mislead consumers about the ethical sourcing of seafood, despite hundreds of claims of labor exploitation within the fishing industry.
The issue is significant because many shoppers rely on the MSC blue “tick” label to identify sustainably sourced seafood, trusting it as a mark of responsible practices. However, questions are emerging over whether this certification truly guarantees fair treatment for workers involved in catching certified fish.
According to The Guardian, some experts say that these blue MSC sustainability ticks create an “illusion” of ethical sourcing and may mislead consumers regarding actual working conditions for fishers. A study by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) found that one in five vessels with reported labor violations over the past five years were MSC-certified. The research documented 80 instances of labor abuse across 72 vessels in 25 MSC-certified fisheries worldwide, including unpaid wages, excessive hours, violence, harassment, threats, denial of medical care, and debt bondage. Researchers noted that each reported case refers to a single vessel and could involve multiple abuses.
Dr. Jessica Sparks, a co-author of the report, said these findings add to existing worries that MSC’s policies may hide labor abuses by reducing scrutiny and undermining enforcement efforts within seafood supply chains. She also pointed out that few successful prosecutions make current policies ineffective at addressing these issues.
The MSC has stated it works toward eliminating forced and child labor from supply chains by supporting improvements in fisheries’ labor standards and prohibiting those with successful forced or child labor prosecutions from certification. However, an MSC spokesperson said: “We agree that MSC’s policies are no substitute for businesses’ human rights due-diligence responsibilities, and we make no claim to offer social assurance,” according to The Guardian.
Chris Williams from ITF warned that if the organization continues without a clear mandate for social assurance while promoting its environmental focus only, it risks hiding real abuses from view: “That risks masking abuses and leading people to buy products that aren’t necessarily what they think they are,” he said.
The debate also draws attention to greenwashing — when marketing gives a false impression of environmental responsibility — which can be found not just in fishing but across many industries.
