I spend a lot of my time talking to people about ocean conservation, and the question I get asked most often — more than anything about coral bleaching or plastic pollution — is: “Which fish can I actually eat without feeling guilty?”

It’s a fair question. The answer should be simple, but the proliferation of sustainability labels on seafood has made it genuinely confusing. Walk down the seafood aisle of any Australian supermarket and you’ll see blue labels, green labels, star ratings, and phrases like “responsibly sourced” that may or may not mean anything specific.

Let me try to clarify what the major certifications actually represent.

MSC (Marine Stewardship Council)

The blue MSC label is the most widely recognised sustainable seafood certification globally. Founded in 1997 by the World Wildlife Fund and Unilever, the MSC certifies wild-capture fisheries that meet three core principles:

1. Sustainable fish stocks — the fishery doesn’t deplete the target species below reproductive capacity
2. Minimised environmental impact — bycatch, habitat damage, and ecosystem effects are controlled
3. Effective management — the fishery has a governance system that enforces rules and responds to new information

MSC certification involves independent third-party assessment, typically taking 12-18 months and costing the fishery $50,000-$500,000 depending on complexity.

Strengths: Rigorous assessment process. Regular reassessment (every five years). Publicly available assessment reports. Wide global recognition.

Criticisms: The cost of certification excludes small-scale fisheries in developing countries. Some MSC-certified fisheries have been controversial — critics argue the bar for certification has been lowered to maintain commercial relevance. The MSC’s own website publishes assessment reports and objections, which is worth checking for specific fisheries.

My assessment: MSC is the most credible label for wild-capture seafood, despite legitimate criticisms. If a product carries the MSC label, it’s been through a genuine assessment process. Whether that process is strict enough is debatable.

ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council)

The ASC is the aquaculture equivalent of the MSC, certifying farmed seafood operations. Founded in 2010 by WWF and IDH (the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative), ASC certification covers species including salmon, prawns, tilapia, trout, and several others.

ASC standards address:

• Water quality and effluent management
• Feed sourcing (including fishmeal sustainability)
• Disease management and antibiotic use
• Worker welfare and community impacts
• Biodiversity protection around farm sites

Strengths: Comprehensive standards that go beyond just environmental issues. Addresses the social dimensions of aquaculture that other labels often ignore.

Criticisms: Aquaculture sustainability is inherently complex. Even ASC-certified salmon farms have faced criticism for sea lice impacts on wild salmon populations and for the environmental cost of feed sourcing.

My assessment: ASC is the best available certification for farmed seafood. It’s not perfect, but it represents a meaningful standard above the industry baseline.

Friend of the Sea

Founded in 2008, Friend of the Sea certifies both wild and farmed seafood. It’s a less rigorous certification than MSC or ASC but more accessible to smaller operations.

Strengths: Lower cost makes it accessible to fisheries in developing countries. Covers a broader range of products including fishmeal and omega-3 supplements.

Criticisms: Less transparent assessment process. Fewer publicly available audit reports. Some sustainability advocates consider it insufficiently rigorous.

My assessment: Better than no certification, but I wouldn’t weight it as heavily as MSC or ASC.

”Responsibly Sourced” and Other Marketing Claims

Here’s where it gets tricky. Phrases like “responsibly sourced,” “ocean-friendly,” or “sustainably caught” on packaging without a specific certification logo behind them are essentially marketing language. They may reflect genuine practices, or they may mean nothing at all. There’s no legal standard for “responsibly sourced” in Australia.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has taken action against misleading environmental claims in other sectors, but seafood labelling remains largely self-regulated.

If a product claims sustainability without displaying a recognised third-party certification, treat the claim with skepticism.

What I Actually Recommend

As a marine biologist, here’s my practical advice for making better seafood choices in Australia:

Check the AMCS Sustainable Seafood Guide. The Australian Marine Conservation Society publishes a traffic-light guide to Australian seafood species. Green means eat freely, amber means think twice, red means avoid. It’s free, it’s science-based, and it covers species you’ll actually find in Australian fish shops.

Buy local and seasonal. Australian fisheries are generally well-managed by global standards. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) provides information on Australian fish stock status. Locally caught fish also has a lower carbon footprint than imported frozen seafood.

Ask questions. At a fish market or restaurant, ask where the fish came from and how it was caught. Line-caught is generally lower-impact than trawled. If the seller can’t tell you where or how the fish was caught, that’s a red flag.

Diversify your species. Australians overwhelmingly eat four species: prawns, salmon, tuna, and barramundi. There are dozens of excellent Australian fish species that are underutilised and sustainably abundant. Try flathead, whiting, sardines, blue mackerel, or leatherjacket. Your fishmonger will be delighted that someone asked for something different.

The Inconvenient Truth

No certification system can fully capture the complexity of marine ecosystem health. Sustainability labels are imperfect tools operating in an imperfect system. But they’re better than nothing — and dramatically better than buying seafood with no regard for where it came from or how it was caught.

The ocean can sustain us if we fish it wisely. The labels are one small part of making that happen.

Dr. Sarah Winters is a marine biologist specialising in ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries.