FishChoice, FishWatch Align for Sustainable Seafood
FishChoice.com, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the seafood supply chain buy and sell sustainable seafood, will begin featuring FishWatch and Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI) scores, programs of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, or NOAA Fisheries, as part of the information resources on sustainable seafood available at FishChoice.com.
“As our nation turns the corner on ending overfishing and rebuilding our domestic fisheries, it’s important for consumers to be aware of the investment and progress being made to sustain our domestic fisheries and ensure healthy, sustainable seafood is available for generations to come,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for Fisheries. “We are pleased FishChoice has included FishWatch as part of their informational resource base to enable their customers to track and support our sustainable seafood journey.”
NOAA’s FSSI scores track the sustainability of the nation’s key commercial and recreational fish stocks and complexes with respect to their current population size and harvest rates. The score takes into account if the overfishing and overfished statuses are known for a stock and if these statuses are above or below prescribed levels. The scores range from zero to a maximum of four, increasing as additional assessments are conducted, overfishing is ended, and stocks rebuild to optimal levels. FishChoice will include the FSSI scores alongside available NGO ratings and certifications from organizations that include the Seafood Watch Program at Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Marine Stewardship Council.
“We know that seafood buyers want sustainability information from the government along with information from the NGO community,” said Richard Boot, president of FishChoice. “We think that integrating the FSSI scores with the other sustainability information on our product detail pages will further help eliminate confusion around responsible sourcing.”
The FishChoice.com website is primarily a sustainable seafood directory where buyers can find wild and farmed products mostly from U.S. and Canadian producers. The seafood directory currently has over 1,300 product listings from well over 200 suppliers across 150+ species of seafood with new products added every week. The website is free to use, requires a simple registration process, and has amassed over 2,400 registered users in its first two years. The website includes species profiles, descriptions of sustainable seafood programs, and other information for the seafood supply chain.
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