FAQs - FishChoice.com
What is FishChoice.com?
FishChoice.com is an online, sustainable seafood sourcing tool that connects retail, restaurant, and institutional seafood buyers to suppliers of sustainable seafood products.
FishChoice.com also helps sustainable aquaculture operations and wild fisheries that utilize environmentally responsible fishing methods find markets for their products.
Why is FishChoice.com an important tool?
In a 2007 Food Marketing Institute Survey 92% of consumers polled said “it is important for the food industry to be more proactive in addressing environmental concerns.” Consumers want to make more sustainable choices and chefs and retailers want to provide them, but, while consumers have sustainable seafood wallet cards to guide their consumption, chefs and retailers have not had a resource to help them source more sustainable seafood. Both sides know WHY sustainable seafood is important and WHAT needs to be done, but until now, the HOW portion of the equation was missing. FishChoice.com, as the first tool of its kind to connect buyers and sellers, fills a crucial missing link in the supply chain, making it easier to find, procure, and sell sustainable seafood products.
What sustainability criteria does FishChoice.com use to evaluate products?
FishChoice.com works with seven recognized seafood conservation organizations to assess the sustainability credentials of the seafood it lists on the site. All of the products on the site have been ranked or certified by one or more recognized environmental organizations.
Which recognized seafood conservation organizations does FishChoice.com work with?
All of the following organizations have powerful, credible tools they use to evaluate sustainability. Each offers a unique set of solutions for seafood buyers. Read about each of them by clicking the links below.
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch
- New England Aquarium
- Sea Choice
- Blue Ocean Institute
- Fish Wise
Is FishChoice.com free?
FishChoice.com is currently free. In the future, there may be a small subscriber fee to users.
How does FishChoice.com work?
- Users register and choose which of the above certification organizations’ criteria they’d like to use when conducting their search.
- Users search or browse a constantly updated database of sustainable seafood products where they’ll find product names, origin, catch or aquaculture method, and sustainability rankings, based on the ranking system they choose when they register.
- Supplier names, location, and contact information are given along with product sizes, packs, minimum orders, delivery system information, and more.
- Users may call suppliers directly, contact their chosen suppliers through the FishChoice.com website, or simply forward product details to their company buyer or distributor.
- If users don’t find the product they are looking for, they can request a search through FishChoice.com and FishChoice.com will find the most sustainable vendors of the product.
Who Founded FishChoice.com?
Richard Boot is the Founder and President of FishChoice.com. Prior to founding Fishchoice.com in 2008, Richard worked as Director of Operations for FishWise (Sustainable Fishery Advocates). At FishWise he developed training and implementation programs for use in grocery stores’ meat and seafood departments. Richard has formed collaborations with national environmental NGOs on a variety of subjects including mercury labeling and education about and sourcing of environmentally preferable seafood products.
Richard has worked with fishermen and fishing associations in Morro Bay, California to help bring their seafood products to the retail marketplace and continues to keep relationships with aquaculture operators to help market their products for US consumers. He currently works with national seafood distributors to help them provide accurate catch method information to retail grocers and assists seafood distributors and wholesalers in the sourcing of seafood products that have been ranked environmentally preferable by FishWise and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program’s methodology.
Before becoming involved with the sustainable seafood movement, Richard graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Business Economics. He managed large restaurants for Chart House Inc. and Landry’s and has worked as chef, buyer, and kitchen manager in the hospitality industry.
How is FishChoice.com funded?
FishChoice.com is a nonprofit organization that is currently funded by private foundations and individual donors who recognize the importance of ensuring sustainable supplies of seafood for future generations. In the future, FishChoice.com will receive some of its operating income from subscriber fees.
Where does the inventory on FishChoice.com come from?
Partnering environmental organizations provide FishChoice.com access to all of the most current information about sustainable species, fishing methods, gear, and farm types. FishChoice.com works with The Sea Fare Group, Inc. to find sources of ocean friendly seafood that meet the criteria of the collaborating environmental organizations. Sea Fare Group is consultancy organization that works with private businesses, commodity marketing groups, and a variety of NGOs on sustainable seafood projects. Sea Fare Group helps bridge the gap between the seafood industry and the environmental NGO’s. These partnerships emphasize that promoting and selling sustainable seafood is in everyone’s best interest.
How can producers get a product on FishChoice.com?
Producers can submit their products by going to the submit products page. FishChoice.com will then contact producers to gather additional information and determine if the product meets the sustainability criteria or is certified by one of the seven conservation organizations with which FishChoice.com works.
Can consumers use the site?
Anyone can register to see what types of products are listed. However, the site provides listings geared to the needs of commercial seafood buyers.
Fast Facts:
- According to a 2008 Hartman Group survey, 21% of consumers say that sustainability is a “very important” consideration when evaluating foods and beverages for purchase.
- FishChoice.com currently has around 300 different products from 130 of suppliers ranging from farmed abalone to wild spot prawns. As users grow, the number of sustainable products will grow too.
- FishChoice.com offers sustainable solutions for the top five most consumed species: salmon, tuna, pollock, shrimp, and tilapia.