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Who are the MSC? What is an eco-label? Discover what Fish & Kids is all about and how you can help Murdock protect the seas.
Unsustainable fishing
Overfishing is a problem all around the world. Sometimes, as fishers get better at catching fish using big, fast boats and technology to find fish under the water, too many fish are caught. This means that there are less fish in the food chain and so some sea creatures might go hungry. It is also a human problem because overfishing means there is less fish in the sea to catch every year, and that means some people do not have enough fish to eat or jobs to earn a living. Fish suffer too because there are fewer of them and in some places they struggle to replenish their numbers.
Another problem is bycatch. This causes damage to creatures like dolphins, whales, crabs, turtles, seahorses and even tiny shrimps when they get caught accidentally by fishers. Often, many fish and sea creatures live in the same area and so it can be tricky to only catch the fish you need.
Unsustainable fishing is something we have to change. If it continues, then more living creatures will be killed and injured as bycatch. There will not be enough fish in the future for ocean creatures or for humans.
Sustainable fishing
Many people fishing are trying a new approach - sustainable fishing. Sustainable fishing is a way to be sure there are plenty of fish left in the sea and gives sea creatures a chance to thrive in the future. For example it means that fish are not caught when they are too young, before they have had a chance to breed. If fish are left to breed that means their numbers will grow and there will be fish to catch year after year. Sustainable fishing also means that the sea creatures like turtles, dolphins, birds and other species are much less likely to be accidentally caught by fishers.
What is the Marine Stewardship Council?
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a global charity working to help solve the problem of unsustainable fishing by encouraging fishers to fish more wisely. The MSC does this by setting a test for fishers to prove that they are being careful with the world's fish resources. The test is not like an exam you'd get at school, but more like an audit to make sure that the fishers:
- Do not catch too many fish - they have to leave plenty to breed for the future.
- Try hard not to catch young fish, or any creatures and fish they don't need.
- Report all the fish they catch so that governments know how many fish are caught each year.
- Obey fishing laws.
The MSC eco-label
If fishers pass the test (known as the MSC standard for sustainable fishing), they can put the MSC eco-label on their fish. When customers see the eco-label on packaging in shops, restaurants and school canteens, they know that the fish they are eating have been caught by responsible fishers. Murdock is showing off the eco-label at the top of the page. Take a look and see if you can see the fish with a tick. Have you seen it in shops or restaurants? Can you get sustainable fish fingers for your school dinner? If you can, then you might see the blue and white fish-tick in your school.