- Fisch ist Luxus, das Meer in Gefahr (Fish is a luxury, the sea is in danger), Die Presse, June 8 2022.
- Streit um MSC-Siegel: Darf man eigentlich noch Fisch essen? (Controversy over the MSC seal: can you still eat fish?), ORF.at 18 June 2022
In these pieces, Greenpeace Austria criticises the MSC and identified several major weaknesses in the MSC criteria including:
- Certification bodies are given a great deal of leeway – in terms of the frequency and intensity of the controls. Certification companies are paid by fisheries, and Greenpeace Austria questions the independence of this process.
- By-catch regulations are not as strict as envisioned and have been watered down to the extent that this only applies if the economic loss is less than one-tenth and the bycatch is not ” negligible” or the reduction is “reasonable”.
- The regulation for shark finning is only good at first glance. The relevant EU regulation, for example, is stricter and prohibits any cutting off of fins on board.
- Monitoring and independent observation at sea to ensure compliance is not adequate.
Quote translated to English “Our oceans are a blue treasure trove, turtles, sharks and dolphins live here. Healthy seas are essential in the fight against the climate crisis. But this habitat is increasingly being destroyed. Supposed eco-seals that pretend to be sustainable – but actually want to make profits – play a major role here. MSC is the opposite of marine protection – and is partly responsible for the catastrophic state of the seas,” says Ursula Bittner, economic expert at Greenpeace in Austria. “
Our thoughts: Many of the weaknesses raised in these articles by Greenpeace Austria are areas we have identified throughout the FSR and have called for improvements. It is clear that despite years of work on this review and extensive engagement with key stakeholders, the MSC has not listened to these calls for improvement.
