The Death Label / Le Label De La Mort
A new member report, but Bloom Association was released in September. This report “The Death Label – The MSC’s fake sustainability but true destruction of tuna populations” dives into the shortcomings of the MSC, in particular with the rising number of tuna certifications in the program and the destructive fishing methods that come along with them.
In our new report, we shed light on the overuse of the MSC label in the most valuable fisheries in the world: tropical tuna fisheries. Far from having improved the situation, we show that, driven by profit, the MSC has consistently weakened its standards and opened the gate to the certification of a high number of utterly unsustainable tuna fisheries, including one targeting —and killing in the process — dolphins! This allowed such fisheries to freely enter the EU, UK, and US markets — to the utmost delight of retailers — under the guise of alleged ‘sustainable’ practices.
The report touches on the history of compartmentalisation in MSC tuna fisheries, where both certified and non-certified components of fisheries (ex: free-schooling and FAD use) are permitted on the same vessel at the same time. It also dives into the use of harmful fishing practices in MSC fisheries, like the use of FADs, which are permitted in certified fisheries.
Coverage on this report: Half of MSC-certified ‘sustainable’ tuna caught with controversial gear, Mongabay, October 24, 2023, which dives into the troubling use of FADs in MSC fisheries, and includes the MSC’s response to the report.
