Consequences of the Loss of MSC Certificates

Background

Over the past three years, the proportion of MSC-certified fish from Norwegian fisheries has dropped from almost 90 percent to approximately 40 pecent.

The large decline is due to the suspension of the MSC certificate for mackerel in 2019, followed by Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NVG) and blue whiting in 2020 – all due to the lack of coastal state agreements with quota allocation mechanisms.

In addition, MSC certificates for cod and haddock caught within 12 nautical miles expired in 2021 due to the poor condition of coastal cod and an inadequate recovery plan.

As pointed out in the call for project proposals, a lack of MSC certification for several of the most important Norwegian fisheries is highly undesirable. At the same time, the loss of MSC certificates provides a unique opportunity to study the consequences of such certification.

The announcement therefore calls for studies of the consequences of the MSC suspension for both pelagic fish (Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NVG)) and whitefish (cod and haddock).

The call also requests that a project takes into account the market shocks caused by the situation in Ukraine and Russia.

An assessment of MSC alternatives as discussed in several previous FHF projects, including a recently completed FHF project that has laid the foundation for a new Norwegian sustainability standard, will also be included in the proposed work. 

Goal

The aim of the proposed work is to map the consequences of the MSC suspension for Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NVG), cod and haddock.

The project aims to answer the following questions regarding cod and haddock:

• Will the suspension of MSC certificates for cod and haddock caught within 12 nautical miles of the coast lead to lower export prices for these fish compared to cod and haddock caught outside the 12 nautical mile boundary?
• Is there a price difference for different products with and without MSC in different markets – and are product flows/product portfolios changing?
• To what extent do processing plants keep fish with and without MSC certificates separate during production?
• Will the loss of MSC certificates for cod and haddock caught within 12 nautical miles of the coast lead to lower prices for fishermen compared to cod and haddock caught outside the 12 nautical mile boundary?
• If so, is the fishing behaviour of coastal fishermen with the opportunity to fish outside the 12 nautical mile boundary affected?

The following questions are highlighted regarding Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NVG):

• Does the loss of MSC certificates for Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NVG) lead to lower export prices for this fish compared to other Norwegian and foreign herring?
• Are market shares in key export markets and product composition changing?