Price premiums for eco-labelled seafood: effects of the MSC certification suspension in the Baltic Sea cod fishery

Certification programmes in fisheries have been introduced as a market-based tool for promoting sustainable fishing practices. While consumers appreciate the eco-labels by paying a price premium in the retail market, there is not much research on whether the premium transmits to the fishing industry. This paper adds to the literature by studying price premiums at port for the Swedish Baltic Sea cod fishery that had its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification suspended in 2015. The result shows a price premium of around 11 per cent for small-size cod prior to the suspension of the certification, but no premium for larger cod.