MarinTrust and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have entered into an agreement to enhance cooperation in the marine ingredient supply chain.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), announced on Thursday, aims to reduce inefficiencies for producers and promote alignment between the two certification programmes.
The move comes as demand for sustainable and responsibly sourced marine ingredients continues to grow, with both organisations seeking to clarify their roles within the supply chain. While MSC focuses on certifying wild-capture fisheries, MarinTrust certifies marine ingredient production facilities and their sourcing practices. The collaboration is expected to create efficiencies for producers while ensuring robust environmental and social standards remain in place.
“This agreement reflects our shared commitment to improving fisheries management and meeting the growing demand for responsible marine ingredients,” said Libby Woodhatch, Executive Chair of MarinTrust. “By clarifying our complementary roles, we aim to streamline efforts and reduce duplication for supply chain actors.”
The MSC’s Chief Programme Officer, Nicolas Guichoux, emphasised the importance of robust assurance systems for the marine ingredient sector. “This partnership reinforces our shared vision of using credible third-party certification to demonstrate responsible sourcing,” he said.
Complementary Roles in Certification
The MoU highlights the differing focus areas of the two organisations. MSC’s certification covers wild-capture fisheries and chain-of-custody processes for seafood from source to consumer-ready products. MarinTrust, by contrast, certifies marine ingredient production facilities, ensuring responsible sourcing and traceability at earlier stages of the supply chain.
The two programmes also differ in their certification units and focus. MSC applies its standards across fisheries and the seafood supply chain, while MarinTrust targets specific facilities producing fishmeal and fish oil. Both organisations’ chain-of-custody standards extend to processing facilities, such as feed and pet food manufacturers.
Efficiencies for Producers
The partnership aims to reduce the administrative and financial burden on marine ingredient producers by exploring mutual recognition of standards. This is particularly relevant for companies that must meet multiple certification requirements.
The MoU also reflects a broader industry trend toward simplifying compliance for producers, as sustainability standards become more integral to global supply chains. MarinTrust and MSC see their collaboration as a way to support this shift while maintaining rigorous standards for environmental and social responsibility.
The marine ingredients sector has become increasingly important in global food production, with fishmeal and fish oil playing a critical role in aquaculture feed. MarinTrust currently certifies 45% of the global production of fishmeal and fish oil, while MSC-certified fisheries contribute to sustainable seafood supply chains worldwide.
