Certification

A variety of seafood certification schemes have been developed over the past decade, all claiming that the fish that they certify have been sustainably caught or farmed and that they are the best option for consumers to purchase.

However, Greenpeace is of the opinion that no fully credible certification system for sustainable seafood currently exists. At present, a seafood label can at best help to identify the best available choice from a particular fishery. It is certainly not an indicator of whether the purchase of such products is the best choice in absolute terms. A good seafood certification program needs to:

• have strong, clear standards that adequately tackle the challenges facing our oceans and incorporate the fundamental principles of precaution and an ecosystem approach to fisheries management;
• involve a wide group of stakeholders in all the processes of the program;
• be fully transparent in the way it works;
• be independently assessed and monitored by external organizations.

Currently seafood certification programs fall short of many of these requirements. Some key seafood certification programs have been assessed in more detail:

Marine Stewardship Council
Friend of the Sea