Supermarket fish and seafood purchasing policies in Latin America have raised their standards over the past four years.
To ensure sustainability, they have adhered to international standards. Among the most accepted by the markets, the fisheries sector of the non-profit organization Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) stands out, which provides these guidelines for producers who wish to undergo a certification process and be examined by an independent evaluator.
According to data provided by MSC to Causa Natura Media, today there are 800,000 tons of Mexican fish production that are related to MSC, either because they belong to a current certified fishery, suspended or are part of the MSC Improvement Program, a scheme for producers to achieve high standards and after five years they can seek certification. Currently, in the country, only the thread herring sardine (a certificate for fishing three similar species of sardine opisthonema libertate, bulleri and medirastre) from the southern Gulf of California has a valid certification, whose deadline is April 14, 2027.
Fisheries standards are governed by principles of: independent auditing, minimizing environmental impact and effective management.
“MSC, as you know, is a non-profit organization with the objective of keeping the oceans full of life, safeguarding these seafood products for us and future generations. And we do this through this fishery certification program and (another) chain of custody certification that comes with this little logo that we see on products,” said Andrea Talantes, Communications Manager Latin America at MSC.
The chain of custody standard, which gives the blue seal on packaging, is governed by: that the products purchased come from certified suppliers; that certified products are identified; the separation of certified products from others that are not; traceability, origin of the products identified and their registered quantities; and good management, where companies verify their operating system.
In an interview with Causa Natura Media, Talantes detailed the relationship between certified fisheries and the preferential access that these products acquire to various markets.
*This interview has been edited for synthesis and better reading.
Sardine fishermen from the Gulf of California. Photo: Conapesca.
— Many times we go to supermarkets and find the certificate on the packaging of the products. What could you tell consumers? , what does it involve?
— When viewing this product, what the consumer can be sure of when they see our logo, blue seal or eco-label, is that the product comes from a sustainable source. What do I mean? Which comes from that fishery that has been certified under our fisheries standard.
— If a fishery is certified does that mean that its products will automatically have the blue seal?
— A fishery may be certified, but it doesn't necessarily decide that its product will carry the ecolabel.
As a context for you to understand this, there are times when they call us and someone says: “Hey, I want to certify myself under chain of custody.” OK, the main thing you have to have is that your product comes from a fishery that is certified under the fisheries standard. Otherwise, you won't be able to get certified...
Basically, seeing this seal on these seafood products (the blue seal), it means that they are certified, that they come from a certified fishery and that they are kept from other products that have this certification. It is to ensure their sustainable origin and that companies or fisheries are audited by accredited independent audits and subject to surveillance audits for the years that the certification lasts.
For the fishery it is five years and for the chain of custody it is three years (blue seal). There are constant audits, but that's how long the certificate lasts.
— Reviewing some supermarket policies for the purchase of fish and seafood, I saw that in the spirit of precisely making the product they offer more sustainable, they have begun to introduce these MSC standards into their policies. How is this involvement between retailers and MSCs? Through agreements or in an organic way, let's say?
— Yes, look, it's very interesting because there are many supermarkets that already have in their purchasing policies to make purchases only for products that come from sustainable sources and one of those is our certificate. But as you know, markets are different around the world.
So we have a lot of offices, a lot of programs around the world. There's the Latin American program, there's the United States program, there's the Canada program. Of course there is a relationship with some supermarkets, there are people dedicated to that which is the sales team where they often help the supermarket to understand.
There are some (retailers) who are already very clear about this, but there are others who are barely understanding this whole world and what we are and what we do and that is when we help them to understand it and also to make this link between fisheries and between buyers who are looking for certified products. Because sometimes that can be a barrier and that's where we can help make those connections.
— What is your perspective on the Latin American market?
— As I said, the markets are quite different, there are some supermarkets that are already very clear about it and those are European markets, for example, the US market. Here in Mexico and a little bit in Latin America we can say that it is under development and is a bit like a chicken and an egg.
On the one hand, the retailer tells you that the consumer is not asking for it. On the other hand, the consumer tells you that they can't find a product and then it can be a bit complex to close all those gaps to complete the buying circle, so to speak.
— From the point of view of the producer who voluntarily submits to these standards, would you say that this kind of promise that the certificate is an important impetus to sell their products in new markets is fulfilled?
— Yes, see the benefits of certification can be several. We can see it from two perspectives, the environmental side, that in the end what will guarantee and help you is that your fish stocks will be healthy, with the objective that they last over time and that there is protection of marine ecosystems.
And on the other hand, we have the socio-economic benefits, where there can be a better price for the certified product, where there can potentially be an expansion to new markets and we can also see the benefits in the social part, which is what I was saying to you a little, the livelihoods and often reputational ones as well. It is usually a mix of financial and non-financial benefits that fisheries and certified businesses obtain.
— Are there any examples in Latin America?
To give you an example, Ecuador has its tuna fishery certified and they have exploited it very well. Although not in the local market, but in export markets. Ecuador saw this as very clear and saw that it would work for the export market, above all, for Europe.
So out there in 2021-2022 they had a labeled product and now by 2023-2024 they have, I think, more than 100 products they are exporting. The truth is that its growth has been very good in that regard.
Artisanal sardine fishermen. Photo: Conapesca.
— What is, let's say, the scenario in Mexico of certified fisheries?
Yes, look, I tell you that currently in Mexico we have 800,000 tons that are involved in the program. What do I mean they're involved with? It may be that they are certified, they are in a program that we call a “MSC Improvement” program, which is a step before certification, because fisheries ultimately have to do an enormous amount of work to achieve certification. And there are times when they are not ready to enter what we call full evaluation and have to make improvements first; and for this there is this MSC improvement program, which gives you the tools and measures your progress, with the objective that in five years you will achieve certification.
So, returning to the topic, however involved is that they are certified, that they are in an improvement program or that they are suspended. Suspended means that you may be missing something. You're certified, you didn't meet a condition that you had to close to maintain certification, and you're temporarily suspended until you fix what you have to fix to get certified again.
— What fisheries do these 800,000 tons correspond to? (The fisheries listed in the response are related to MSC, either because they are part of an Improvement program to be certified, have a suspended or current certification. Currently, it is only the Thread Herring sardine that is valid).
— Red lobster, sardines, sardines from both the Sonora and Sinaloa fisheries, those two fisheries alone weigh 60,000 metric tons. Which are those of the smaller pelagic ones. It includes the macarela sardine, the northern anchovy, the Bocona sardine, the Monterrey sardine and the crinuda sardine.
And on the other hand, in the Gulf of California, we have a crinuda sardine. We have the red hedgehog from Baja California, the red lobster from Baja California, the brown shrimp from Sonora; the blue, brown and white shrimp from Sinaloa, the common Mayan octopus from Yucatán, the green one that is in the part where I don't remember Sinaloa or Sonora.
And there we also have another part of the stock of the Monterrey sardine in the Baja California peninsula and the hake from the Gulf of California. So, as you can see, there are several fisheries that are involved in our program. Although they are not certified, the only one that is currently certified is the sardine (thread herring).
— You detail very well all the tons that are involved in an MSC program and how companies came together in alliances in Ecuador, and each fishery has its own path with ups and downs, but if a common denominator could be found, do you think that there are specific challenges for Mexican fisheries that may differentiate them from other countries?
— What a good question. From my perspective, since Francisco is the Fisheries Outreach Manager, I could have a much clearer vision of this, but I think: one, it's the organization.
In other words, what do I mean by organization, that they can work as a team. That they do, I say, but in the end there are times when some fisheries share the stock, so there, in the end, they are going to be evaluated together many times, even if you decide not to enter the certification.
One is the organization and I think the cost. That is the most challenging thing. I think it could be the costs.
— Sometimes costs are a barrier. What facilities does MSC provide so that more fisheries can be certified or that they can find ways to afford certification?
— Of course, look, not us as such, as I said, we don't certify, so the payment doesn't work for us. This is for what we call CABS (certification body), who are auditors for their acronym in English. They are the ones who set the price.
In this sense, when they approach us and say, “Hey, we want to be certified, how do we do it”. All we do is send the list of accredited auditors and they can make their quotes and choose the one that best suits them, either by price, for many who don't have a Spanish-speaking person and so on.
Now, in what sense can we support? We have a fund called Ocean Stewardship Fund, this fund gives a little money to several projects.
— What do these funds consist of?
We have several items. On the one hand, what is the transition aid fund that is when you decide to enter the MSC Improvement program...
On the other hand, we have the aid fund for recertification, which are fisheries that are working under the conditions they have to achieve their second, third or whatever number is recertification. In other words, it is a support so that they can be re-certified (it lasts five years).
Another fund we have is the innovation fund, which is basically if you're doing something innovative in your fishery that they can finance it. For example, in the sardine fishery there were times when pelicans could get entangled when they pulled the pulleys from the nets, so what they did was a structure called a venadito, it's like a very funny fawn and that's like a pelican stings to say: “Hey, you have to move”. These are sometimes very simple things that fisheries can implement. There is another fund for science and research and research grants for students.
So, this fund covers several things, several areas where you can enter your application to obtain funds to make the necessary improvements or to transition or for your re-certification. It's the way we can help.
— Where do the resources for these funds come from?
It is through royalties that once the products carry our ecolabel, they pay royalties to MSCI (Marine Stewardship Council International), it's not directly to us, it's like the entity we have to receive those payments and that is reinvested, a certain amount is reinvested to give these resources to the Ocean Stewardship Fund fund and to be able to fund such work.
— Would you at least consider that if there is some certainty that in the coming years in the Latin American region we will see more supermarket chains, let's say, moving forward with their purchasing policies? And therefore also the use of standards such as those of MSC?
Yes, I definitely think so and I'm going to give you some data that indicate that trend. For direct human consumption, already speaking of the products that are eco-labeled in Mexico and in general in Latin America, although it is considered to be under development, we have seen growth.
In recent years in Mexico, the products, available labeled, already for the consumer, I tell you this according to our fiscal year, which begins on March 1 of the year and ends on March 31 of the following year, between 2021 and 2022 there were three products. Only three products labeled in supermarkets.
For the year 2023 there were six and by the last year 2023-2024 there were already 11. I know that these are small quantities that other markets are used to, but the trend is and is growing. From three to six to 11.
And we can see it, for example, in cod, especially, that between November-December if you go to the supermarkets you will find certified cod. Although it is an imported product, in the end it is a product that the Mexican consumer is buying eco-labeled. And in other Latin American countries, the situation is similar. Chile, for example, in these same years mentioned above has gone from 12 to 19 products.
Peru is a little lower, but we are starting to see products. Right now we have two products only in Peru, but there is already a presence.
And for Brazil it's a little more, going from 20 to 43 products. So the trend is there and I think that's going to increase.
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