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The estimated retail value of seafood products bearing the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo is estimated around 1.4 billion US dollars annually.
These numbers, based on extrapolation of half-year figures, confirm a continued trend of steady year-on-year growth at around $0.4 billion.
Rupert Howes, chief executive of the MSC, said: 'These figures are tremendously encouraging and a real testimony to the collective journey we have embarked on together since the first fisheries became certified ten years ago. In practice this means that consumers around the world have access to a growing range and volume of certified sustainable seafood choices. This is good news for fishing communities, the ocean and consumers. The information I have seen so far suggests that sustainability is here to stay with research and retail results pointing to consumers not compromising on their values, even as times become more challenging.'
In January this year the 2,000th MSC labelled product was launched and at the end of March the number had risen to 2,366 - a growth of 66% year-on-year. In total, this represents more than 400 million individual items of labelled products sold over the year to April 2009.
MSC labelled products are currently available in 42 countries (up from 36 in April 2008). The list of countries with MSC labelled products on offer now includes Ghana, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia and Taiwan. The top three markets for MSC labelled products remain Germany, USA and UK.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
