Meet Murdock the Fisherman's Cat, the mascot of Fish & Kids. Did you know that 'Murdock' means protector of the sea? Murdock loves the sea and wants to look after it – he needs your help!

Murdock’s mission – and YOUR mission!

Murdock holds ‘the fish with the tick’. This is the logo of the Marine Stewardship Council (the MSC). When you see this blue logo on fish, you know it has been caught by fishers who are looking after the sea. You might see it on packets of fish in the supermarket or

on your school menu. Like Murdock, if you don’t see it you can ask for it. Your mission is to use your consumer power to encourage shops, restaurants and school canteens to offer sustainably-caught  seafood. You might want to practice on your family first by asking them to use MSC-labelled seafood to cook yummy meals! Find shops in the UK selling fish with the MSC logo.

The downside of fishing

Fishing that is not responsible can cause problems in the oceans.  If fishers catch too many fish there won’t be enough fish to eat in the future.  Other sea creatures may be accidentally caught – this is called ‘bycatch’.  Careless fishing can harm the habitat of other creatures that need the oceans, and put them in danger too. Not all fishers are looking after the sea. Support responsible fishers by looking for the blue MSC logo when shopping.

Responsible fishers look after the sea

Sustainable fishing is a way to be sure there are plenty of fish left in the sea and that other sea creatures can thrive in the future. Responsible fishers might take some of the following actions:

• Avoid catching fish that are very young before they have had a chance to breed. If fish are left to breed their numbers will grow and there will be fish to catch year after year.
• Take measures to ensure that sea creatures such as turtles, dolphins, birds and other species are much less likely to be accidentally caught.

Don't foget look for the MSC logo for sustainable fishing on your fish. Remember, if you don’t see it, ask for it!

More about Fish & Kids

Fish & Kids is a project run by the MSC. It works with school meal providers to encourage them to offer MSC-labelled, sustainable seafood in schools. So far, over 1000 schools use the MSC logo to identify sustainable fish on their menus. Does your school use the logo?

There are also lots of ways of learning about fishing and consumer power using the fun Fish & Kids website (hyperlink to www.fishandkids.org). Teachers will find lots of helpful classroom resources. Children and parents can learn more on the website too, which has lots of fun games and information.

Visit www.fishandkids.org for fun games and more information for kids, teachers and parents.

Visit www.msc.org for more information about the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent, global, non-profit organisation whose role is to recognise, via a certification programme, well-managed fisheries and to harness consumer preference for seafood products bearing the MSC label of approval. The MSC is Registered charity 1066806. www.msc.org