The MSC has as its main goal “To use our ecolabel and fishery certification program to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood, and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.”

It applies to wild and farmed fish or seafood caught by fisheries in marine or freshwater.

The MSC Fisheries Standard: It is used to evaluate if a fishery is properly managed and sustainable. It is based on three core principles:

1. Sustainable fish stocks: How many fish are left in the ocean? It must be ensured that the fish population remains healthy and productive through assessments of their status and monitoring of these.
2. Minimizing environmental impact: These activities must be managed carefully so the ecosystem remains healthy. This principle takes into all different levels of organisms in the ecosystem.
3. Effective fisheries management: How are the operations managed? Relevant laws must be in place and the fisheries need to be able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Monitoring and performance evaluation must be established.

The MSC Chain of Custody Standard: It ensures that seafood sold with the blue MSC label comes from a certified fishery or farm, and it can be traced throughout the supply chain. In order to attain a certification, companies must purchase a certified product from a certified supplier and these products must be clearly identifiable. Additionally, the products will have to be traceable, recorded, and separated from those that are not certified. Lastly, the companies must have a management system to address the requirements of the Standard.