Environmental Engineering Reference
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to the public. More recently, the rapid rise in retailer and foodservice use of the
MSC ecolabel, combined with a high level of sustained media interest, suggests
that recognition of the MSC label could now be much higher.
One indicator of the broad general interest in the MSC among target audiences
(including, but not limited to, consumers) is the number of visitors to the MSC's
websites (www.msc.org, www.fishandkids.org). In 2005, the monthly average of
web sessions across all of the MSC's websites was 29 000. In 2006, this monthly
average rose to 47 000 - a rise of 60% - and in the first half of 2007, this figure was
regularly crossing the 60 000 mark. The goal of increasing public awareness of the
MSC ecolabel and building the MSC as a global brand is recognised as being of
increasing importance.
4.8
Strengthening the fishery assessment process
The MSC has learnt a great deal through practical experience and has made sig-
nificant improvements over the years in the guidance provided to certifiers on how
to interpret and implement the MSC standard for environmentally responsible and
sustainable fishing. The FCM, for example, has been updated six times since its first
iteration in 1999 and is further supported by directives issued by MSC's technical
advisory board (TAB directives) that provide additional guidance on new issues
that may arise between formal updates of the FCM. However, as noted above, some
fishery clients have raised concerns about the length and costs of individual fishery
assessments. Concerns have also been expressed about where 'the bar' has been set
by individual certifiers for different fisheries. Have some fisheries been assessed to
a higher or lower standard?
In response to these concerns, MSC launched its quality and consistency project
(Q&C) in 2006. This project has already delivered, after a series of international and
expert workshops, detailed 'statements of intent' for the 23 performance criteria that
sit below the three high-level principles that make up MSC standard for sustainable
fishing. These are already helping to improve the clarity and 'intent' of the 23
criteria that together form the backbone of the MSC standard for environmentally
responsible and sustainable fishing.
Phase II of the project will develop standardised or default indicator sets and
scoring guideposts (the assessment tree) that will be used from mid-2008 in all
future fishery assessments. The development and roll-out of these default indi-
cator sets will improve both the quality and also the consistency of individual
fishery assessments. Greater standardisation in the assessment process could, per-
haps, also offer the prospect of lowering the overall cost of a fishery assessment.
It should be noted that MSC standard is not being changed or rewritten as part of
this project. The Q&C project is simply delivering significantly improved opera-
tional guidance, based on the practical experience of over thirty fishery assessments
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