How we work: MSC Fisheries Witness Assessments
Accreditation Services International uses a set of tools to regularly verify compliance of applicant and accredited MSC fisheries certification bodies. In addition to document review and office assessments, ASI conducts witness assessments on at least one fisheries certification process for each certification body per year. This baseline sampling rate is augmented by additional assessments based on the size of operation and past conformance of the certification body.
As part of a witness assessment, ASI reviews the qualifications of the auditors based on their CVs. Most certification bodies use teams of three auditors for each fisheries audit. ASI then attends the stakeholder meetings conducted by the certification body as a means of gaining information on the fishery in question. The focus of ASI’s witness assessment is to verify that the information is gathered in an open, impartial manner in those meetings.
ASI verifies the numeric scores the certification body assigns to the fishery based on the MSC Performance Criteria, ensuring that the scores are supported by scientific evidence and that the audit team had been sufficiently briefed on the process. Finally, ASI reviews the audit report to verify that it accurately reflects the information provided by stakeholders and peer reviewers and that it is well supported by the scientific information available on this fishery.
If ASI identifies shortcomings in the way the certification body conducts the assessment, corrective action requests are included in the assessment report. These have to be corrected by the certification body and measures have to be taken to avoid recurrence. If corrective action requests are not addressed in a given timeline, suspension of the certification body can be initiated.
Which fishery to assess?
As ASI only witnesses a percentage of audits conducted by certification bodies, it needs to decide which fisheries will be assessed in any given year. Based on a risk assessment, ASI usesinformed judgement. Criteria include whether the certification body has already assessed similar fisheries or operated in the same region and the estimated environmental impact of the fishery method employed. Findings from previous audits and stakeholder input are also taken into account.
- ASI Sampling Procedure for the Marine Stewardship Council (PDF Download)
- Upcoming MSC Assessments
