Fisheries play a vital role in food security and global economies as well as social structures in coastal communities. With a growing recognition that individual livelihoods are heavily dependent on healthy fishery resources, more and more players in the fishing industry are making stronger commitments to sustainable fisheries management.
Icelandic cod: carrying the torch for sustainable seafood at the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games
The story of sustainable cod at Rio 2016
The Olympic and Paralympic Games present a great opportunity to forge positive links between sport and the environment. This year, as part of a commitment to sustainability, 100% of the cod served to athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Village came from Visir, a family-run fishing business in Grindavik, south west Iceland.
Are some types of fishing gear more sustainable than others?
Shaun McLennan explains why there’s no simple way to differentiate between the sustainability of various fishing gear types and methods.
Before joining the MSC in February 2016, I spent 3 and a bit years working for the UK government as fishery manager. One of my roles was to assess the impacts that different fishing techniques have on protected marine environments. As with many elements of fisheries management, the answer to the question: “Which fishing method is most environmentally-sound?” isn’t as simple as it may seem.
Sustainable tuna: challenges and solutions
Ensuring sustainable tuna populations is a global challenge. MSC's global fisheries coordinator, Jim Humphreys explains why and explains the solutions.
Healthy tuna populations are essential to thriving oceans and fishing economies as well as being an important source of food. Tuna are among the most commercially valuable fish on the planet, providing livelihoods for artisanal fishing communities through to supporting large multinational companies. As such, protecting tuna populations and ensuring that they are fished in a sustainable way, is a global conservation and development priority.
The rise of sustainable supplements
Nicolas Guichoux, Global Commercial Director at the MSC explains the growth in popularity of MSC labelled fish oil supplements.
Seafood is well known as a source of healthy oils and nutrients. Studies show that fish oils are good for your heart, brain and bones. Some claim that they can protect you from the effects of air pollution and reduce the signs of aging [1].
For many, eating certified sustainable fish as part of a balanced diet is an effective way of ensuring that we receive the nutrients, protein and oils we need. But there’s also a growing preference to supplement diet with fish based products in the form of Omega-3 rich fish oils.
