Terms & Services

Code of Conduct 

FishChoice wants all users of the site to have a valuable and positive experience. To that end, we ask all FishChoice.com users to comply with the following Code of Conduct. 

All FishChoice.com site users agree to:

  • Communicate in a respectful and professional way. Site users should be respectful and courteous when communicating with all FishChoice staff and other users. Abusive or inappropriate language via email, phone calls, or other forms of communication will not be tolerated.
  • Use appropriate means of communication. While FishChoice staff does its best to accommodate the wide range of FishChoice.com users and their respective time zones and favored modes of communication, we ask site users to respect our communication policies outlined below:
    • Business hours: FishChoice staff maintains regular business hours of 9am-5pm U.S. Mountain Time. FishChoice.com users should limit calls to those hours. If a user needs to speak outside of these hours, he or she can email the specific staff member to discuss scheduling a call outside of regular hours. 
    • Means of communication: Users should only contact FishChoice staff using their FishChoice email and/or respective office phone number. Outreach through other means of communication (e.g., employee’s personal social media channels, text messages, WhatsApp) will not receive responses.

Violations of the Code of Conduct

Users who violate the Code of Conduct will be subject to the consequences outlined below.

  • First violation: User will receive a warning from FishChoice staff.
  • Second violation: FishChoice staff will alert the user that their business profile and/or personal accounts will be removed from the site and that they will not receive any further communication from FishChoice.com and staff. 

Questions?

If you have questions about the Code of Conduct, please email info@fishchoice.com. 

By creating an account on FishChoice.com a user is agreeing to the terms of reference outlined in the Code of Conduct. FishChoice will notify users to any changes in Code of Conduct. FishChoice reserves the right to remove user accounts from FishChoice.com without warning if found in serious violation of our Code of Conduct. FishChoice does not independently validate any Partner sourcing information and is not responsible for the accuracy of sourcing information displayed on Partner profiles. In the case of any misinformation, site users agree to hold FishChoice harmless of any liability.

FishChoice Partner Requirements 

In order to maximize your company’s FishChoice experience, Partners are required to do the following:

  • Have a public-facing profile on FishChoice.com with their business information and some, if not all, of their seafood products posted onto the site
  • Commit to posting accurate sourcing details and not fabricate information to receive better sustainability ratings and/or make inaccurate or misleading claims about seafood certification, FIP product sourcing, or sustainability partnerships.
    FishChoice does not independently validate any Partner sourcing information and is not responsible for the accuracy of sourcing information displayed on Partner profiles. In the case of any misinformation, site users and Partners agree to hold FishChoice harmless of any liability. 
  • Review their respective Partner profile at least once every two years and make any updates as necessary. Partners are expected to review and update the following: 
    • Business profile content
    • Product postings
    • Contact information
      If no updates are necessary at the time of review, then the Partner is encouraged to share that information with FishChoice.
  • Assign a new staff member as the primary contact for FishChoice in the case of staff transition.
  • Notify FishChoice in the case of company closure.
  • Agrees to FishChoice's use of the Partner's logo on the FishChoice.com site, on FishChoice social media channels, and other communications materials to highlight the company's participation in the FishChoice Partner Program.
  • Not engage in or have IUU and/or human rights abuses in their seafood supply chain or participate in other illegal or harmful behavior as deemed so by the FishChoice team.
  • Interact with FishChoice staff and other users in a professional, respectful manner as outlined in the Code of Conduct.

FishChoice reserves the right to revoke Partnership status and remove any associated user accounts, profiles, products, or other content from the site if a Partner does not adhere to these requirements.

The FishChoice Partner program is voluntary and at any time a Partner can cancel their participation. This can be done by accessing your account settings and unpublishing your business profile. If a Partner would like to cancel their FishChoice.com account, they can contact FishChoice at info@fishchoice.com to do so. Please allow up to five business days for profile and account removal.

Partner Best Practices

In order to maximize the benefits associated with your FishChoice Partnership it is highly encouraged that partners do the following:

  • Opt-in to regular communications from FishChoice including: The FishChoice Current newsletter, sustainability rating and infographic alerts, quarterly Partner updates, and occasional requests for feedback
  • Post 100% of their current seafood products and sourcing - companies who post 100% of their products will receive recognition on their profile for doing so
  • Update their Partner profile on an as-needed basis and review it regularly to make sure it is up-to-date and accurate
  • Use the FishChoice Partner logo and/or language on their website, email signatures, and/or other printed materials as recognition of their Partnership. Request a FishChoice Partner Press Kit. Note: The FishChoice Partner logo is not an eco-label/certification, sustainability rating, or proof of sustainability and cannot be displayed as such. While our Partner logo can appear in FishChoice Partner communications and promotional materials, it cannot appear on product packaging. The logo is intended to be used to highlight your company's participation in the FishChoice Partner Program ad cannot be used by non-Partners.
  • Use other FishChoice tools such as the Commitment Template and Recommendation Engine to inform and assist in their sustainable seafood sourcing
    • If a FishChoice Partner has a sustainability commitment or develops one at any time, they are encouraged to make it publicly available by uploading the commitment to their profile
  • Notify other staff of participation in FishChoice Partner program and introduce FishChoice to respective sustainability, marketing and/or sales teams
  • Set up internal meetings/trainings with the FishChoice team to review the full suite of FishChoice tools and services available to Partners
    • Both electronically and in-person
    • Note: FishChoice is available to participate in other company-held events (if resources/time allows)
  • Work with the FishChoice team to develop a press release to be shared with industry and other relevant parties highlighting the new Partnership and the Partner’s commitment to transparent seafood sourcing
  • Send FishChoice news, updates, events and pictures for use on FishChoice’s social media and other communication platforms
  • Follow FishChoice on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

FishChoice Privacy Policy and Data Protection, May 2018

FishChoice and its affiliated web properties are designed, developed and managed to maximize sustainability in the seafood industry and to promote ocean conservation through improved fisheries management. We are a not-for-profit entity and therefore do not generate revenue from personal information submitted to our site. We have no advertising and any personalized content is defined by the registered user receiving it. Nonetheless we believe strongly in your right to privacy and data protection. Below are the principles and practices we support. 

FishChoice and its affiliated websites are owned entirely by FishChoice, Inc., PO Box 531, Fort Collins, CO 80522

1. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND ITS SOURCE
FishChoice and its websites and tools, including but not limited to FishChoice.com, MyFishChoice, FisheryProgress.org, and other websites/tools to be developed in the future, collect only personal information provided during the registration process including:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Organization name
  • Organization type

2. BUSINESS INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND ITS SOURCE
FishChoice.com and FisheryProgress.org both offer opportunities for suppliers, buyers, and those engaged in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) to voluntarily contribute information to our site with the express purpose of sharing that information publicly. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • Seafood products
  • Seafood sources
  • Business location
  • Business contact information
  • Notes for distribution and minimum volume sizes
  • FIP contact information for leadership and participants
  • FIP progress data and documentation
  • Other FIP-related data that is meant for public access  

3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION - WEBSITE USAGE AND TRACKING

By default, our systems track only the following information usage about individual users:

  • Date of registration/duration of membership
  • Last time you have logged in
  • Number of times you have logged in

We use this information only for internal research to understand which types of users are most active so we can a) continue to develop tools/website that meet their needs and b) find areas for improvement to reach important but less active audiences. It is never sold, licensed, traded or shared outside of our organization.

We do not track page usage per individual user - in other words, we cannot see what pages you go to or interact with. 

In an effort to continually improve our offerings, we use Google Analytics to track website and web page activity in aggregate. We cannot see which of our users interacted with specific pages, but we can see standard metrics like the total number of visits to a specific page or the average amount of time users interact with a page.  

4. EDITING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION 
You can review and edit your personal information at any time by logging into the website(s) for which you are registered (i.e. FishChoice.com, FisheryProgress.org) by clicking My Account in the top right corner of the page and then choosing the appropriate tab. 

For Partners who choose to list their products, sources, business location, contact information, distribution notes, etc., you can edit this information by contacting your FishChoice program manager or, in the near future, accessing your information via your dashboard (expected launch in late 2018 or early 2019). 

5. DELETING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION 
Any registered general user may request FishChoice to delete your account at any time by emailing info@fishchoice.com and/or contact@fisheryprogress.org depending on which you would like to be removed from. We will remove you entirely from our system within 15 days. Once removed, there will be no way to reactivate you so if you choose to sign up again, you will start fresh. 

6. GIVING CONSENT
Registered Users - As of this updated policy, all existing recipients of our newsletters will be reminded of the process for unsubscribing and may do so at any time. Any new registrants will be asked to opt in to receiving our monthly newsletters. 

FishChoice.com Dashboard Users - a core part of our service is working with you to give you updates on ratings changes, new products/sources, etc. These are not considered mass communication but rather an individualized service we provide. If you would like us to not contact you at all, please email info@fishchoice.com and we will stop providing this service. 

FisheryProgress.org The stated purpose of this site is to communicate your FIP-related information publicly. As such, by creating a public FIP profile you agree to have this information displayed publicly (unless otherwise noted) and to be contacted by our FIP Reviewers who are required to ensure data is as accurate as possible. While opting out of these elements would defeat the purpose of the site, you are free to request your FIP Profile be unpublished or removed entirely and that request will be reviewed by our staff. Email contact@fisheryprogress.org. 

7. SHARING YOUR DATA WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 
FishChoice does not share any non-public data with other organizations, though we may share information internally between our websites to provide you with the best service possible. We do not sell, license, or trade your private information with any other  companies, individuals or organizations. 

8. RETAINING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION  
FishChoice retains your personal information based on your active membership. As long as you remain registered in our system, we will keep your most current personal information on file as noted in sections 1 and 2. Because we do not track personal site usage information as noted in section 3, there is ‘timing out’ of data. 

If you choose to delete your account entirely, however, your personal information is deleted completely and forever once we take that action as requested by you. 

9. FUTURE PRACTICES AND PROTECTIONS
Because we never know what the future may hold, we will continue to update this policy as necessary to comply with new regulations and/or to address new websites and tools we may develop. For any significant policy updates, we will attempt to notify users of changes via this page, homepage notifications and through newsletters if you have opted in. 

In the event of a data breach, we will notify users within 72 hours of discovering the breach.