The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has announced a new initiative to accelerate the adoption of sustainable fishing practices worldwide.

The initiative, named the MSC Improvement Program, will provide fisheries with support and incentives to make measurable improvements over five years, guided by an independently verified action plan. According to MSC, this will ensure that progress is both effective and timely.

With over 500 fisheries already certified under its fisheries standard, the MSC aims to address the rising issue of overfishing, which affects nearly 38% of global fish stocks, according to the latest data from the United Nations.

"The MSC works with hundreds of committed fisheries around the world that are leaders in sustainability. However, not all fisheries are currently able to meet our Fisheries Standard, despite the growing urgency," said Amanda Lejbowicz, MSC's head of fishery standard accessibility.

"This new initiative aims to incentivize fisheries to improve their sustainability practices. In doing so, we support not only the health of the oceans and future seafood supplies but also the livelihoods of the communities that rely on fishing," she added.

It complements existing fishery improvement projects (FIPs), which operate globally to enhance sustainability in fisheries.

Fisheries participating in the MSC Improvement Program will not be eligible to use the MSC ecolabel during their improvement phase, as their catch will not be certified sustainable. 

However, once they meet minimum performance requirements across all indicators and adhere to specific traceability standards, they may gain access to MSC-certified supply chains. Retail products containing their seafood will also be allowed to display a back-of-pack statement indicating their participation in the program, according to MSC.

This new program builds on a previous pilot initiative that ran for several years. The first certification resulting from the pilot was awarded in August 2024 to part of the South African albacore fishery.