The Marine Stewardship Council Programme - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 97

customers. Hastings Borough Council has stimulated interest in the MSC as part of a
strategic economic regeneration initiative related to tourism in this historic fishing
town on the south coast of England. This example of a relatively low-volume fishery
utilising its MSC certification to improve the marketing of local produce and local
identity contrasts with the large-scale impact of Wal-Mart's sourcing decision, but
it is nonetheless an important demonstration of market transformation and local
economic sustainability in action.

4.7.3 Consumer awareness

Raising consumer awareness of the MSC ecolabel has been limited historically by
two factors. First, the supply of MSC-labelled seafood was limited, and this needed
to be easily available in a given market before an expensive consumer awareness
campaign could be justified. Second, the MSC's relatively small operating budget
and global scope has not been sufficient to launch such a campaign. Nevertheless, in
the UK - the most mature market for MSC-labelled fish - there has been consistent
media interest since the MSC's inception and a steady increase in the availability of
MSC-labelled seafood products. The support of celebrity chefs such as Rick Stein
and opinion formers such as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (Box 4.2) has
given the MSC a relatively high profile in the media.

Box 4.2 Key Supporters of the MSC
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales:

In addition to good science and good regulation, we need a system that harnesses
the power of the consumer and provides economic incentives to well-managed
fisheries.
That is exactly what the MSC does, and that is why I have been such a strong
supporter of its work right from the start (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
sci/tech/3530111.stm).

Rick Stein:

To me nothing matters more in my supply and use of raw materials, than where
they come from. I need to know which boats have been looking after the fish and
the public have an ever-growing interest in that too. This is why the MSC is a
gift from heaven (Source: http://www.msc.org/html/ni 43.htm).

A series of market research studies in 2005-2006 estimated that up to 7% of the
UK public recognised the MSC ecolabel when prompted, an encouraging level of
recognition given the very limited resources available to promote the MSC label