A recent report by Katrina Nakamura of Sustainability Incubator reveals the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is neglecting to spot forced labor behind the tuna it stamps “certified sustainable.”

Nakumara’s review of the standard shows the MSC doesn’t screen vessels or companies against published lists of labor abuses, meaning vessels found connected to egregious human rights abuses are able to benefit from the use of the world’s most recognizable ecolabel for sustainable seafood. Furthermore, Nakumara’s research reveals that 74% of the MSC’s certified tuna was not able to be traced back to the vessel or employer level.

In response to this new research, Global Labor Justice (GLJ) issued a press release in which its Deputy director, Valery Alzaga, stated, “When consumers purchase MSC-labeled tuna, they reasonably expect that the product is free from human and labor rights abuses, but in fact, there are MSC-certified fisheries where the fishers are subjected to forced labor and unacceptable working conditions. The MSC only requires companies to submit self-declarations, allowing some of the largest seafood brands to ignore forced labor in their supply chains and avoid being accountable to fishers and their unions.”

Disappointingly, in response to GLJ’s press release, the MSC dodged responsibility for the people behind the fisheries it certifies by reiterating that it “does not offer an assurance on forced or child labor.” Various NGOs in the sustainable seafood movement have voiced concerns around this stance for years. In response to a weak effort made in 2019 to address labor concerns under its revised Chain of Custody Certification, the MSC were called out for taking a low-bar approach that served as a poor model for other certification schemes looking to address seafood workers’ rights. 

A recent campaign by SeaChoice demonstrated the importance of human sustainability to consumers, with nearly 5,000 letters sent to major retailers demanding they put a stop to egregious human rights abuses in their seafood supply.

The campaign leveraged the disturbing findings of recent investigations conducted by The Outlaw Ocean Project and Corporate Accountability Lab. Collectively, these reports unveiled countless acts of inhumane working conditions, forced labor, child labor, severe abuse, neglect, murder, debt bondage, illegal and unregulated fishing, overfishing, and more. Unfortunately, these findings aren’t new, as human rights abuses have long been reported throughout global seafood supply chains. In fact, a recent report by the International Labor Organization revealed that annual profits from forced labor across sectors has increased by 37 per cent over the past decade. 

One core demand outlined in SeaChoice’s letter to retailers is to stop relying exclusively on flawed certifications. Retailers need to do their due diligence by investigating their seafood supply chains, including those of the third-party products they sell. To affect change, certification schemes and retailers must stop passing the buck and take responsibility for the human rights abuses behind seafood.

The MSC uses the claim “sustainable” on its label and specifies that it is meant to be interpreted in an environmental context. Where seafood is concerned, mounting evidence clearly demonstrates the interdependent linkage between environmental violations and human rights abuses. As such, the approach of certifications addressing environmental issues, only, is an outdated one. Other major certification schemes – including MSC’s counterparts, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – have long addressed both environmental and human rights concerns. The MSC has an ethical obligation to ensure the products it labels as “certified sustainable” are not tainted by human rights abuses. 

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