Does the Marine Stewardship Council's Eco-labelling Scheme Require Sustainable Fisheries Management?: a Study of the Marine Stewardship Council's Objections Procedure

Abstract

The Marine Stewardship Council eco-labelling scheme was formed in order to provide a means of promoting sustainable fisheries that moved away from conventional top-down management. In order to remain robust and transparent, MSC allows stakeholders to object to a certification through an objections process outlined by MSC. Over the past 15 years, this objections process has come under increasing scrutiny. The MSC OP has been accused of Ambiguous wording, principal agent issues and an unequal judicial process by some stakeholders and outside commentators. These accusations pose a real threat to the reputation of the MSC. If left un-addressed, MSC’s credibility amongst consumers and academics has the potential to be lost. This thesis seeks to investigate the legitimacy and robustness of the MSC OP. There is a focus on the way in which the MSC OP facilitates interactions between objection actors, influences actors, and how each actor is empowered by the MSC OP methodology.