Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Fishing ban · United States · 2025

Alaska flatfish trawl fishery recertified by MSC for third time

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

The Marine Stewardship Council recertified Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery for a third time in December 2025. A tuna fleet was also recertified despite criticism from a UK parliamentary committee over shark-fin evidence.

What?
The Marine Stewardship Council certified Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery for a third time in December 2025. SeafoodSource
Where?
Alaska, United States SeafoodSource
When?
December 2025 SeafoodSource
Who?
Gained
  • Alaska bottom-trawl flatfish fishery — kept MSC certification after its third certification SeafoodSource
  • A tuna fleet (unnamed in the sources) — recertified despite the UK committee's criticism SeafoodSource
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Sharks — shark-fin cutting evidence was cited against the recertified tuna fleet SeafoodSource
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
The fishery pays the assessing body, and the MSC logo is licensed on products.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

SeafoodSource reported that Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for a third time in December 2025.

SeafoodSource also reported that a UK parliamentary committee criticised the recertification of a tuna fleet with evidence of shark-fin cutting.

SeafoodSource reported that the MSC groundfish forum pushed back against criticism of the Alaska flatfish certification.

The Blue Marine Foundation (BLOOM) reported that 83% of MSC-certified catch in 2009–2017 was taken by high-impact methods, including bottom trawl and dredge.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: a 2013 study of 19 MSC objections, of which one was upheld, and a 19.5% share of catch.
    • None on record Reported without a source link: MSC gets 93.2% of its 2025–26 revenue from logo licences, and assessment fees are paid to certification firms.
    • None on record Tuna stock figures (skipjack spawning biomass down to about 51% of its unfished level; bigeye recovery linked to a model change) have no source link and are not used.
    • None on record The Australian orange roughy trawl certification is covered by a separate record: msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Communities and civil society

    1. MSC certification report (Blue Marine Foundation)
      Blue Marine Foundation · 2020-05-07

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Science and environment

    Biomass, root-to-shoot ratio, carbon fraction
    Biomass is the dry weight of living plants per hectare. The root-to-shoot ratio adds the weight of roots. The carbon fraction is the share of that weight that is carbon, about 47% in tropical forests.

    Carbon and conservation finance

    Standard-setter and registry
    An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.
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