GSSI receives 2.0 Global Benchmark Tool recognition; MarinTrust announces new improver project

SeafoodSource is closely following the sustainable seafood movement by compiling a regular round-up of sector updates pertaining to sustainability initiatives and certifications.

-On 10 October, the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) announced it has recognized the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) program under its 2.0 Global Benchmark Tool. 

“The Tool is underpinned by the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine/Inland Capture Fisheries, and the FAO Technical Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification. The Global Benchmark Tool aims to minimize the overall environmental impact of how we produce, catch, and supply seafood to meet a growing global demand,” GSSI wrote in a release. 

GSSI, which is headquartered in Haarlem, the Netherlands, first recognized ASC's certification in 2018, and this recognition follows the benchmarking for its 1.3 version of the Salmon Standard, according to GSSI.  

-MarinTrust, a marine ingredients certification organization headquartered in London, England, announced its new ingredients standards and also unveiled its new resource for Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP) MarinTrust’s Improver Project (IP) on 9 October. 

The IP involves an interactive resource to provide fisheries with a timebound process to improve ingredients in fisheries and gain recognition of its production. 

“To maintain compliance, all Accepted FIPs must demonstrate improvements in line with a Fishery Action Plan including the associated evidence. All this information must be transparent and made public on the MarinTrust website to ensure the FIPs are credible and can be scrutinized by external stakeholders,” MarinTrust wrote in a release. “In addition, to provide a simple and internationally recognized measure of the FIPs progress, we have worked with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) to incorporate the FIP ratings Evaluation Tool. This tool provides a rating that is determined through the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) FIP Evaluation Program. SFP’s FIP Evaluation Tool defines and assesses FIPs against time benchmarks to understand the rate at which a fishery is improving and assigns a related letter grade and reports these on the FishSource website.”

Six fisheries are working with MarinTrust to apply its new IP, ensuring FIP information is easily accessible. MarinTrust has also improved the profiles on its website, it said. 

-ASC hosted its first buyer summit for its certified seabass and sea bream in Turkey and Europe to showcase its responsible farming practices to retail companies from the U.S., U.K., Portugal, and Spain. 

The summit took place from 11 to 14 September in Bodrum, Turkey for representatives from  Morrisons, Tesco, Mercadona, La Sirena, Giant Eagle, and El Continente. 

“From Mercadona we signed up for the summit to better understand how the criteria of the ASC standards play out in a country like Turkey. The continuous improvement to which we aspire led us to get to know the reality of the sector at its origin and doing so with the help of ASC and the rest of the retailers helps us see where to direct our future strategies,” Mercadona Environmental Manager Maria Sapiña Escrivá said in a release

Representatives from the commercial chains visited farm sites, toured facilities and feed barges, and observed the harvest using electric stunning techniques, to demonstrate high environmental welfare and social standards. 

"I joined the summit to see ASC standards in action in the supply chain and gain further understanding of how suppliers interact with these requirements,” Tesco UK sustainable aquaculture & fisheries manager Ben Lambden said. “The trip was brilliant and showcased the Turkish Bass and Bream industry and the improvements they have made on their ASC journey. I’m keen to further understand future revisions to the standard that will include feed and welfare elements.”

Photo courtesy of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council