In the past few decades, the production and consumption of fish and seafood products have increased dramatically exacerbating overfishing concerns and accelerating the endangerment of marine ecosystems. As a response to these concerns, new forms of governance such as private transnational rule-setting organizations emerged at different geopolitical scales. These organizations create rules for certification that can be seen as private market-based instruments to govern environmental problems. This paper explores the agency of private rule-setting organisations by scrutinizing changes in markets or power relations as a result of compliance with private rules and standards. Three indicators are explored in detail: (a) the relative growth in the size of the certified in relation to the non-certified market, (b) the geographic distribution of certified markets globally, and (c) the effects on global trade and competition patterns.
