MSC

What MSC does

MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 1066806). Its mission is to end overfishing and ensure sustainable seafood supplies for future generations. The organization operates the world's leading wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabeling program, serving three interconnected customer groups: commercial fisheries seeking certification to access premium markets and demonstrate sustainable practices, supply chain companies (processors, distributors, retailers, restaurants) requiring Chain of Custody certification to use the MSC blue fish label, and end consumers who use the label to identify sustainably sourced wild-caught seafood.

MSC's core technical offering consists of two standards: the MSC Fisheries Standard, a science-based set of criteria evaluating sustainable stocks, environmental impacts, and effective management against three core principles; and the Chain of Custody Standard, which ensures traceability from certified fishery to consumer-facing product and prevents illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) seafood from entering the supply chain. Assessments are conducted by independent third-party conformity assessment bodies (CABs), with mandatory accreditation and annual surveillance audits. The MSC blue fish ecolabel appears on more than 25,000 products in over 60 countries, with over 51,000 Chain of Custody certified sites globally and 590+ fisheries fully certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard. The program meets UN FAO Best Practice Guidelines, ISEAL Code of Good Practice, and is the only global seafood certification recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI).

MSC operates as a nonprofit funded through fishery certification fees (annual subscription model), label royalties on certified product sales (with 5% directed to the Ocean Stewardship Fund), grants, and partner donations. It runs a sales-led go-to-market targeting fisheries, supply chain companies, retailers, and restaurants, while simultaneously building consumer demand through content marketing, social media (#FeelGoodSeafood), and educational resources. Supporting products include the Track a Fishery public portal, the Ocean Stewardship Fund grant program, and a Science and Research Program focused on climate impacts, socioeconomic outcomes, and fishery simulation. The organization launched its fourth Strategic Plan in 2023 with a goal to engage more than one-third of global marine landings by 2030. Leadership includes CEO Rupert Howes and COO Alene Wilton.

Name

MSC

Legal name

Marine Stewardship Council

Website

https://msc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a London-based international nonprofit founded in 1997 that certifies sustainable wild-capture fisheries, operates the Chain of Custody traceability standard for seafood supply chains, and licenses the MSC blue fish ecolabel to retailers and restaurants across 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Seafood Certification

NAICS

Shellfish Fishing (114112), Other Marine Fishing (114119)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood & Aquaculture Certification Services (MSC/ASC/BAP) (AFALAMAL)

Keywords

• Sustainable seafood certification
• Fishery certification standards
• Eco-labeling program
• Chain of custody traceability
• Wild-caught seafood sustainability

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification fees: Fisheries and supply chain companies pay for MSC certification assessments and annual audits to become certified
2. Label royalties: Companies using the MSC blue fish label pay royalties. Five percent of all royalties from MSC certified product sales go towards supporting sustainable fisheries through the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Marine Stewardship Council provides independent, science-based certification of sustainable wild-capture fisheries through the MSC Fisheries Standard, and traceability certification of seafood supply chains through the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. Fisheries, processors, distributors, retailers, and restaurants pay certification fees to obtain MSC certification and license the MSC blue fish ecolabel, which appears on consumer seafood products to signal independently verified sustainable sourcing.

Product overview

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) operates a fishery certification and ecolabeling program for sustainable wild-caught seafood. The core offerings include the MSC Fisheries Standard for assessing fishery sustainability, the MSC Chain of Custody Standard for supply chain traceability, and the MSC blue fish ecolabel for consumer-facing products. Supporting services include the Track a Fishery online portal, the Ocean Stewardship Fund grant program, and science/research initiatives. The program enables fisheries to get certified, supply chain companies to maintain chain of custody certification, and retailers/restaurants to sell MSC labeled products. The system is completed by consumer education resources that promote sustainable seafood choices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSC Fisheries Standard Science-based set of criteria used to assess whether a wild-capture fishery is sustainable, evaluating three core principles: sustainable stocks, environmental impacts, and effective management. Used by independent third-party conformity assessment bodies to certify commercial fisheries worldwide.
• MSC Chain of Custody Standard Certification standard for supply chain companies that ensures seafood sold with the MSC blue fish label can be traced back to a certified sustainable source, preventing illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) seafood from entering the supply chain.
• MSC Blue Fish Ecolabel The blue fish eco-label appears on certified sustainable wild-caught seafood products, providing consumers assurance that the seafood is sustainably sourced, independently verified, and fully traceable. Licensed to companies through Chain of Custody certification.
• Track a Fishery Online Portal Online portal allowing users to search and track MSC certified fisheries, view assessment reports, certificate details, catch data, and current certification status.
• Ocean Stewardship Fund Grant program offering funding to both MSC certified sustainable fisheries and improving fisheries to support research, technology adoption, and sustainability improvements.
• Science and Research Program Research initiatives focusing on climate change impacts on fish stocks, socioeconomic impacts of MSC certification, fishery simulation tools, and benthic impacts assessment to inform standards development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35.5% of global fisheries are overfished according to FAO 2025 data
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026MSC has joined the industry advisory board of SCEMFIS, an organization that identifies and funds marine science research to support sustainable fisheries. As a member, MSC will help SCEMFIS advance its mission of funding research that benefits commercially important U.S. finfish and shellfish fisheries. Many MSC-certified fisheries have maintained their certifications partly due to SCEMFIS-supported research.
• Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026The SMI, founded by King Charles III, appointed John Kerry as a Champion for the Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI), an effort to mobilize private sector support for ocean governance, marine protection, and science-based fisheries management. The OSI is being developed in partnership with Aker BioMarine, Aker QRILL Company, and the Marine Stewardship Council.
• Aker BioMarinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Partner in the Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI) alongside MSC and Aker QRILL Company, working to mobilize private sector support for ocean governance, marine protection, and science-based fisheries management with focus on Antarctic Peninsula Marine Protected Area.
• Aker QRILL CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Partner in the Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI) alongside MSC and Aker BioMarine, supporting the initiative to mobilize private sector support for ocean governance and science-based fisheries management.
• DNVcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 February 2026DNV commissioned a report by five major container shipping companies (CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC) identifying regulatory harmonization as the critical bottleneck for scaling Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) technology. The report proposes Rotterdam and Singapore as key LCO2 offloading hubs.
• CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology)minorOthersChinese lithium battery maker with 42 GWh of combined energy-storage orders from the Middle East potentially affected by Strait of Hormuz disruptions to MSC shipping routes.
• BYDminorOthersChinese EV and battery manufacturer with Middle East energy-storage orders potentially affected by shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
• APM Terminals (Maersk)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing Panama Supreme Court ruling annulling CK Hutchison's port concessions, APM Terminals and MSC's Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) were assigned to operate Balboa and Cristobal ports during an 18-month transition period.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC): ASC is the sister organization to MSC, jointly founded by WWF and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative. Where MSC certifies wild-capture fisheries, ASC certifies responsibly farmed seafood using a parallel third-party assessment and Chain of Custody model — making it the most directly comparable peer in product, business model, and customer base.
• Friend of the Sea: Friend of the Sea is a non-profit certification project that certifies both wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture for sustainability, with a global eco-label appearing on retail products. It directly competes with MSC in wild-capture certification and overlaps on standards (e.g., ISEAL compliance), serving the same fisheries and retailers.
• Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP): BAP is the Global Seafood Alliance's aquaculture certification program covering responsible farming of finfish, shellfish, and crustaceans. It is a direct comparable to MSC in the seafood eco-label space and shares the third-party-audit and Chain-of-Custody structure, though focused on farmed rather than wild-catch seafood.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: Seafood Watch is one of the most influential consumer-facing seafood sustainability programs in North America, providing color-coded recommendations (green/yellow/red) and partnering with retailers and foodservice operators. While not a third-party certification, it directly competes for retailer and consumer mindshare in the same sustainable-seafood category as MSC.
• Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP): SFP is a nonprofit that engages seafood buyers, suppliers, and fishery improvement projects (FIPs) to reform fishery practices, with many of its improvement pathways feeding MSC's assessment pipeline. It operates in the same wild-capture sustainability space with overlapping customers (retailers, suppliers) but uses a buyer-engagement model rather than certification.
• Earth Island Institute (Dolphin Safe / International Dolphin Conservation Program): Earth Island Institute administers the long-running Dolphin Safe tuna label, a consumer-facing seafood eco-label with third-party chain-of-custody verification. It competes directly with MSC's seafood eco-label for shelf space and consumer trust in the tuna category, with an overlapping brand-driven, certification-style business model.

Broad incumbents

• GlobalG.A.P. GlobalG.A.P. is a broad sustainability certification program covering aquaculture (and other agriculture), widely adopted by global retailers for farm assurance. It overlaps with MSC on aquaculture-side supply chains and shares the third-party-audit model, but is not specialized in wild-capture fisheries.
• Fair Trade USA: Fair Trade USA is a major third-party sustainability certification organization that operates a comparable fee-, audit-, and label-royalty-funded model across multiple commodity categories (with growing seafood programs). It overlaps with MSC in business model, governance structure (nonprofit, standards-based), and supply-chain stakeholder base, but is not specialized in wild-capture fisheries.

Others

• GSSI (Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative): GSSI is the multi-stakeholder benchmark organization for seafood certification schemes; MSC is the only program currently recognized as credible by GSSI. GSSI is not a competitor but an enabler/ecosystem participant that shapes which certifications retailers will accept, directly affecting MSC's competitive position.
• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL is the global membership association for credible sustainability standards, of which MSC is a full member. ISEAL defines the Code of Good Practice and Codes of Conduct that MSC complies with; it is an ecosystem/standard-setter rather than a competitor, but materially shapes MSC's legitimacy and the bar for any challenger.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mscsverige
• Facebookfacebook.com/mscbluefish
• Instagraminstagram.com/mscbluefish

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MSC