MSC’s ‘blue tick’ scheme creates illusion of ethically sourced fish, study claims

Crew let out a net on a trawler. The International Labour Organization estimated in 2022 that 128,000 crew were trapped in forced labour onboard fishing vessels globally. Photograph: Getty

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which operates a “blue tick” scheme to indicate the sustainability of fish, has been accused of creating an “illusion” of ethical sourcing, after a study reported that widespread labour abuses have taken place on the fishing vessels it approves.

One in five vessels where the crew reported abuses to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) over the last five years took place on ships catching seafood certified as sustainable by the MSC, researchers found.