6 need-to-know marine sustainability programs
Third-party certifications can help retailers and brands decide what types of fish are best for their businesses—and good for the oceans, as well.
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Based in: Fort Collins, Colorado Mission: FishChoice is dedicated to powering progress on seafood sustainability by giving thousands of businesses the information they need to turn commitments into action. FishChoice works with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Global GAP and Marine Stewardship Council. Retailers and manufacturers could use the organization's partner directory to find seafood suppliers, aquaculture operations and more.
Based in: Portsmouth, New Hampshire Mission: Global Aquaculture Alliance promotes responsible aquaculture practices through education, advocacy and demonstration. Best Aquaculture Practices, an arm of GAA, offers certification that producers follow best practices in four areas of sustainability—environment, social, food safety, and animal health and welfare—throughout the production chain.
Based in: Portland, Oregon Mission: A world that embraces and enables the role of responsibly farmed seafood in meeting global nutrition needs. The Global G.A.P. aquaculture standard sets criteria for food safety, animal welfare, environmental and ecological care, worker safety and more. The Global G.A.P. chain of custody standard provides transparency for producers and retailers to reassure consumers that the seafood is sustainable and the label is accurate. The website includes a sortable and searchable list of certified producers.
Based in: Washington, D.C. Mission: To use our ecolabel and fishery certification program to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices; influencing the choices people make when buying seafood; and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The blue Marine Stewardship Council label is applied only to wild fish or seafood from fisheries that have been certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, a science-based set of requirements for sustainable fishing. The products are separated from non-certified fish or seafood throughout the supply chain. In addition, DNA testing is used to ensure that all products are correctly identified. Producers and retailers could use the site's "Find a supplier" tool to find businesses with the Council's chain of custody certificates.
Based in: Monterey, California Mission: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program helps consumers and businesses choose seafood that's fished or farmed in ways that support a healthy ocean, now and for future generations. Our recommendations indicate which seafood items are "Best Choices" or "Good Alternatives," and which ones you should avoid. The Seafood Watch program offers downloadable guides to help consumers make good choices and information for retailers and restaurants looking to support sustainable seafood and fish. Seafood Watch also works with Global Seafood Rating Alliance to provide additional information on sustainable seafood. Seafood Watch also recommends following the guidelines of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Naturland and the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
Based in: Honolulu, Hawaii Mission: Ocean Disclosure Project provides a reporting framework for seafood-buying companies including retailers, suppliers, fish feed manufacturers and more, to voluntarily disclose their wild-caught seafood sourcing alongside information on the environmental performance of each source. Producers and retailers submit to the organization a variety of information such as the number of fisheries they use; how many of those fisheries are certified, in an improvement program, well-managed or managed; and the methods of fishing used. A map of each company's fisheries shows which products are fished by which company and where. Certifications are accepted from certain third-party organizations, including Aquaculture Stewardship Council (Netherlands), BIM Certified Quality Aquaculture (Ireland), Global GAP and Global Aquaculture Alliance. Ocean Disclosure Project is affiliated with FishChoice.
Based in: Honolulu, Hawaii Mission: Ocean Disclosure Project provides a reporting framework for seafood-buying companies including retailers, suppliers, fish feed manufacturers and more, to voluntarily disclose their wild-caught seafood sourcing alongside information on the environmental performance of each source. Producers and retailers submit to the organization a variety of information such as the number of fisheries they use; how many of those fisheries are certified, in an improvement program, well-managed or managed; and the methods of fishing used. A map of each company's fisheries shows which products are fished by which company and where. Certifications are accepted from certain third-party organizations, including Aquaculture Stewardship Council (Netherlands), BIM Certified Quality Aquaculture (Ireland), Global GAP and Global Aquaculture Alliance. Ocean Disclosure Project is affiliated with FishChoice.
Like many of us, the United Nations is concerned about the sustainability of the oceans.
Besides the fact that more than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal diversity to make a living, the oceans contain 97% of the planet's water, according to the U.N.
Our activities as humans—driving cars, burning fossil fuels for heat and electricity, carelessly discarding plastic waste—directly harm the oceans, resulting in warming, acidification and the loss of oxygen. Disturbingly, when the oceans aren't healthy, the Earth can't be healthy. And that means we can't be healthy, either.
Already, scientists are using bacteria found deep in the ocean to create rapid-results testing for COVID-19. Other species in the ocean also carry the promise of valuable pharmaceuticals.
Preserving and improving the sustainability of the underwater ecosystem is vital. One way to have a positive effect on the ocean is to consume fish and seafood responsibly: Consume only what we need; choose products that aren't endangered or overfished; reduce plastic waste. Food manufacturers, restaurants and retailers, especially those in the natural foods industry, should follow these guidelines.
Finding fish and seafood that are raised or fished using eco-healthy, sustainable methods can be difficult. A seemingly simple internet search can push one to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Click through this gallery to see what organizations are working—and often, working together—to help seafood lovers make good choices.
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