The MSC fisheries standard has 3 overarching principles that every fishery must prove that it meets:

Principle 1: Sustainable fish stocks The fishing activity must be at a level which is sustainable for the fish population. Any certified fishery must operate so that fishing can continue indefinitely and is not overexploiting the resources.

Principle 2: Minimising environmental impact Fishing operations should be managed to maintain the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem on which the fishery depends.

Principle 3: Effective management The fishery must meet all local, national and international laws and must have a management system in place to respond to changing circumstances and maintain sustainability.

The MSC Chain of Custody Standard (CoC) for seafood traceability makes sure that the MSC label is only displayed on seafood from a MSC certified sustainable fishery.