Summary
This paper examines the political economy of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, using Canada's Nothern shrimp fishery as a case study. Drawing on existing literature and data from open-eneded interviews with certification, government, and industry officials, the author argues that MSC certification enables fishery 'clients' to control production relations and access to resources. This is exemplified in the Northern shrimp case study: the inital client, Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), gained new members after certification and epxelled a community-based fishing cooperative, reflecting and reinforcing a highly competitive political economy of production.