Sustainable Seafood Partners

FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Partners

FishChoice collaborates with the leading and most respected sustainable seafood organizations. These organizations have established their credibility through science-based approaches in evaluating wild and farmed seafood production. Collectively, this group of seafood ratings, scores, and certifications offer the seafood industry an overall perspective on the environmental impacts of wild fisheries and aquaculture operations. Click on an organization's logo to get a summary on each organization's sustainable seafood program.

Sustainable Seafood Assessments

	Seafood Watch was developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to research and evaluate wild-caught and farmed seafood. The result is comprehensive seafood sustainability recommendations for the major seafood species consumed in the United States. Seafood Watch defines sustainable seafood as from sources, whether fish or farmed, that can maintain or increase production into the long-term without jeopardizing the structure or function of affected ecosystems.
	Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise works directly with restaurants, markets, food services and suppliers ensuring that they have the most current scientific information regarding seafood and helping them make ocean-friendly buying decisions. The options are highlighted on their menus and display cases with the Ocean Wise symbol, making it easier for consumers to make environmentally friendly seafood choices.
	Since the inception of the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Fisheries Programme in 1998 MCS has campaigned for the responsible use of marine fish resources.The Good Fish Guide, first published in 2002, is a market-based tool designed to raise awareness of the environmental issues and ecological effects associated with aquaculture and fisheries to create demand for more responsibly produced farmed fish.
	NOAA Fisheries measures the sustainability of the United State’s fisheries through the Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI). The FSSI tracks the status of rebuilding and maintaining 230 commercially and recreationally important stocks and complexes. The index incorporates critical components of managing fisheries - controlling harvest rates, maintaining population size, and increasing knowledge about the status of fish stocks and complexes.
	FisheryProgress a joint project between FishChoice and the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Launched in October 2015,  FisheryProgress is the one-stop shop for reliable information about fishery improvement project progress. The website gives a range of information about global FIPs from a snapshot of progress and opportunities to get involved to detailed evidence for improvements.

Sustainable Seafood Certifications

	The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an independent, international non-profit organization that has developed a certification program for responsible aquaculture. ASC's mission is to transform aquaculture towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility using efficient market mechanisms that create value across the chain. The ASC uses market forces to transform aquaculture by reducing its key negative social and environmental impacts through compliance with standards at the farm level.
	The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel recognize and reward sustainable fishing. The MSC operates a global seafood certification program where wild capture fisheries can become certified as sustainable to the MSC standards for sustainable fishing and suppliers can receive chain of custody certification for seafood traceability standards.
	The Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability in a voluntary certification program for aquaculture facilities. BAP certification defines the most important elements of responsible aquaculture and provides quantitative guidelines by which to evaluate adherence to those practices.
	The Fair Trade Capture Fisheries Standard was developed to provide the opportunity for fishers to demonstrate the core elements of Fair Trade in their practices, while helping them commercialize their product. The Standard is structured along the core Fair Trade USA principles that represent the main organizational objectives of: empowerment, economic development, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship.
	Food Alliance is a non-profit organization that certifies farms, ranches, food processors and distributors for sustainable agriculture and  management practices. The Food Alliance shellfish certification program covers soil, water, and biodiversity conservation, healthy and humane care for shellstock, shared resource management, and safe and fair working conditions.
	GLOBALG.A.P. is a leading global certification program whose mission is to bring farmers and retailers together to produce and market safe food, to protect scarce resources, and to build a sustainable future. The GLOBALG.A.P.'s Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard for aquaculture is recognized by the GFSI for its food safety criteria and by the GSSI for its environmental aspects. Furthermore, the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard for aquaculture provides assurance in relation to fish health and welfare, as well as workers' safety, health, and welfare.