Saving Seafood

FisheryProgress debuts new labor abuse policy

August 9, 2019 — FisheryProgress, a leading source of information on fishery improvement projects (FIP) has announced a new interim policy on labor abuse focusing on serious human rights abuses: forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking.

The new policy will have all FIPs featured on the site contain a notification of potential rights abuses if FisheryProgress receives a credible allegation of abuse, according to a release by FishChoice, the NGO that manages FisheryProgress. If a credible allegation is received and confirmed by the organization, the FIP will have 30 days from confirmation to remedy the problem. If the FIP is unable to secure third-party confirmation that it has handled the issue, FisheryProgress will move the FIP to “inactive status” on its website.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

FishChoice, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to cross-list companies disclosing sourcing info

February 8, 2019 — A new collaboration between the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and the environmental nonprofit FishChoice will result in members of its supplier program becoming Ocean Disclosure Project participants.

FishChoice, which encourages seafood suppliers to publicly share information – including product sources, certifications, and sustainability ratings – has named the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) as its newest Sustainable Seafood Affiliate. The designation will result in data-sharing between the two programs, with suppliers that list their full source list for wild-caught seafood on the FishChoice website being recognized as ODP participants, with their listings in the ODP portal linking to their FishChoice profile.

FishChoice supplier members Albion Farms and Fisheries, North Atlantic Inc., and Tradex Foods are already listed on both websites, with their profiles containing product pages for each species sold, “giving seafood buyers instant access to up-to-date product sustainability information,” SFP said in a press release.

“We are very happy to be collaborating with FishChoice on the Ocean Disclosure Project, to help one another work with the seafood industry to deliver more sustainable seafood production,” ODP Project Manager Tania Woodcock said. “Companies that report their full list of wild-caught seafood products into FishChoice’s supplier directory meet with the ODP’s requirements for transparency in seafood sourcing.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New Launch: Sustainable Seafood Platform for Businesses

June 16, 2017 — The following was released by FishChoice, Inc:

FishChoice.com, one of the largest sustainable seafood platforms designed for businesses, has launched its new My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Platform. The new platform allows registered members the ability track content from the website in personalized dashboards with the key feature being a new seafood sustainability assessment tool enabling businesses to better address sustainable seafood on their own.

“As part of our Smart Catch pilot program, we are using this tool to help chefs better understand the fish and seafood they are serving,” says Katherine Miller, Senior Director, Food Policy Advocacy for the James Beard Foundation. “This new tool manages and updates the sustainable seafood information for chefs and makes it easy for them to get additional information and make changes to their menus. Using this tool, chefs are empowered to make a greater positive impact on our seafood supply.”

The new assessment tool is the key feature of the new My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood platform that is now available at no-charge for interested businesses. The sustainability assessment’s online dashboard provides businesses with an up-to-date item-by-item sustainability analysis of their seafood products, several charts that show total and segmented sustainability details, and tracks changes in sustainability over time. According to Justin Boevers, Director of Operations at FishChoice, “Sustainable seafood information is becoming more complex and changing more frequently. Last year alone, we saw over 300 updates on sustainable seafood assessments. We want to increase the ability for businesses to address seafood sustainability on their own, and our new platform is a big step in that direction.”

Additional features of the My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Platform include ‘My Suppliers,’ ‘My Products,’ and ‘My Sources’ dashboards that pull content from FishChoice.com’s 500+ Supplier Members, 4,400+ product listings, and 2,500+ sources of sustainable seafood assessments respectively. Future plans for the My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Platform include business guidance on implementing sustainable seafood, development of sustainable seafood transparency reports, and the inclusion of opportunities to support seafood improvement projects and programs.   

About FishChoice

FishChoice, Inc. (FCI) is a registered 501(c)(3) founded in 2008 that is dedicated to helping businesses advance their seafood sustainability efforts on their own. FishChoice creates tools and provides resources that make it easier for businesses to buy and sell sustainable seafood. By collaborating with both the leading sustainable seafood programs and leaders in the seafood industry, FishChoice advances sustainability in the global seafood industry. For more information please visit http://www.fishchoice.com. 

New Tool Makes Sustainability Choices Better and Easier for Seafood Industry

October 26, 2016 — The following was released by The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions:

Fort Collins, Colorado – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions and FishChoice today released a first-of-its-kind resource aimed at helping seafood buyers make better and easier sustainable sourcing choices. Industry and conservation organizations hail FisheryProgress.org (www.fisheryprogress.org) as a one-stop-shop for reliable information on the progress of fishery improvement projects (“FIPs”) worldwide.

“For industry’s conservation leaders, the question is no longer whether you’re sourcing from a FIP, it’s whether the FIP you’re sourcing from is making progress,” said John Silva of Lusamerica Fish. “For the first time, FisheryProgress.org makes it easy to find a reliable answer.”

Dozens of FIPs throughout the world bring suppliers, retailers, and food-service companies together with conservation groups and scientific experts to address environmental challenges in a fishery. Along with clear sustainability standards, public policy upgrades, and other interventions, FIPs make fisheries more sustainable by harnessing the private sector’s power to incentivize positive change.

Previously, access to detailed information about FIPs’ progress required searching dozens of websites. And even then, prospective buyers or conservation advocates faced inconsistent documentation and questions about the data’s reliability. FisheryProgress.org brings all of that data together on one site, using standard metrics to assess progress, and ensuring that data is independently verified.

FisheryProgress.org uses the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard as a tool for measuring fishery performance and the progress fishery improvement projects make over time. Each project can choose whether to pursue MSC certification, or other alternative end goals, but using the same credible standard for measuring progress allows businesses to make better-informed decisions about participating in or sourcing from these fishery improvement projects.

“We work closely with our partners to transition their supply chains to sustainable resources, and fishery improvement projects are vital to this transition,” said Stephanie Bradley, Manager of Fishery Improvement Projects for the World Wildlife Fund – U.S., a Conservation Alliance member organization. “The value of a platform like FisheryProgress.org is that it collects important details about these projects and provides third-party verification of that information all in one place. This has the potential to build an easily accessible global profile of work, which in turn can provide more opportunities for seafood buyers to engage in transitioning fisheries and their supply chains.”

The Conservation Alliance released updated FIP guidelines in 2015. Noting that access to reliable FIP progress information remained a barrier to conservation groups considering recommendations and retail and food service buyers considering sourcing decisions, the Conservation Alliance commissioned the creation of FisheryProgress.org. FishChoice, a Conservation Alliance member organization with experience developing online tools for seafood businesses, will operate the site and verify data. FishChoice led the site’s development, informed by an advisory committee that also included other Conservation Alliance member organizations and industry representatives.

“FishChoice and the Conservation Alliance are all about bringing industry and conservation leaders together to overcome sustainability challenges,” said Richard Boot, founder and president of FishChoice. “FisheryProgress.org works for conservation and industry because it was designed in partnership with both.”

New Sustainable Seafood Reporting Application Available for Businesses

September 28, 2015 — FORT COLLINS, Colorado — The following was released by FishChoice:

New Sustainable Seafood Reporting Application Available for Businesses

Online Application Enables Businesses to Self-Assess the Sustainability of their Seafood

Powered by FishChoice.com, in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program and Seattle Fish Co., the new Sustainable Seafood Calculator application enables businesses to self-assess and track the sustainability of their seafood.

“We partnered with FishChoice.com to create the Seafood Calculator to allow our customers to easily and accurately rate the sustainability of their seafood,” says Derek Figueroa, COO of Seattle Fish Co. “The Seafood Calculator is a valuable and straightforward tool that makes it easy for Seattle Fish Co. to deliver up-to-date information to our customers and allow them to drive real change.”

Chefs, retailers, distributors, and others register for a free account and can immediately start creating one or more lists of their seafood inventory. At any time, users can calculate sustainability where they will be directed to a dashboard with a table of their seafood inventory matched with corresponding up-to-date sustainability information. The dashboard also includes a collection of charts summarizing their seafood categories by overall sustainability and by individual sustainability categories. Additionally, users of the application receive email notifications when there are updates to the sustainability of any of their items.

Currently, over 500 companies have tested the application and use it to track and report the sustainability of their seafood. Chefs are some of the main businesses benefiting from the application. According to Sheila Lucero, Executive Chef, Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar, “We are committed to our sustainability practices and being able to utilize the Seafood Calculator has been a beneficial tool to our chefs.” The sustainable seafood calculator can be found at http://www.fishchoice.com/sustainableseafoodcalculator/. 

About FishChoice.com

FishChoice, Inc. (FCI) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is funded by private foundations.  FishChoice works directly with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program, Ocean Wise, NOAA Fisheries, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Global Aquaculture Alliance, and Fair Trade USA in providing science-based, up-to-date sustainable seafood information and tools for businesses. For more information please visit http://www.fishchoice.com/press-room. 

View the PDF of the release here