Developing World Programme, Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is improving the ways our oceans are fished by changing the incentives within the seafood market to reward fisheries that demonstrate that they are sustainable by achieving MSC certification. The MSC Standard is the most highly regarded means of assessing the environmental impact of a fishery’s practices, and most fisheries that take part in the MSC programme make changes to their practices that have verifiable environmental benefits. The support of the A. G. Leventis Foundation has helped the MSC to promote the MSC certification and eco-labelling programme globally. In developing countries, fisheries are increasingly using the MSC assessment process as a means of charting a path towards sustainable fishing. In Senegal, the MSC has been working with lobster fishermen to help develop an action plan for sustainability improvements. MSC-driven fishery improvement work is also taking place in the Gambia and elsewhere in Africa. With markets around the world demanding seafood that is certified as sustainably sourced, these fisheries can look to increases in the prices for their produce, while ensuring the health of fish stocks and the viability of fishing as a livelihood for thousands of people.
More recently, the Foundation has supported the MSC’s HellasFish Project which has gathered information on Greek fishing practises, catches and trade in order to develop and implement an action plan which works towards sustainability for Greek fisheries.
Grants given:
2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021
