Libby Woodhatch, Executive Chair of MarinTrust, with Dave Martin, Deputy Division Director at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.
Photo: MarinTrust
MarinTrust and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aiming to further develop their work together on responsible sourcing of marine ingredients.
The two organisations said the deal, announced on 16 September in Athens, formalises their existing longstanding relationship in promoting sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture, and sets out plans for closer collaboration on a number of fronts.
This will include SFP continuing to sit on several MarinTrust committees, and see MarinTrust integrate SFP's Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) ratings into the MarinTrust Improver Programme.
The organisations have also pledged joint support for projects such as the FAO Gulf of Thailand Fish Project, which promotes the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) to end overfishing and IUU fishing, and MarinTrust's Multispecies Pilot Project, launched in 2023, to develop a way of assessing "highly complex fisheries" in which hundreds of different species are regularly caught.
The organisations also promised to share data and expertise to promote best practice and reduce duplication of efforts. This will include MarinTrust using SFP’s FishSource data in its certification applications and exploring the use of FAO’s Global Record of Stocks and Fisheries identifiers.
Both organisations said the new agreement would help them achieve shared goals, from reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to improving working conditions and protecting marine ecosystems.
Libby Woodhatch, Executive Chair of MarinTrust, said the agreement marked “a significant step forward” in efforts to improve sustainability across the marine ingredients sector.
“By aligning our efforts, we can more effectively drive improvements in marine ingredient sourcing, traceability and production, ultimately benefiting ecosystems, communities and the users of marine ingredients such as the global aquaculture sector, the omega-3 nutraceutical industry and the pet food sector,” she said.
"We are delighted to formalise our collaboration with MarinTrust, which started a long time ago and has resulted in fruitful projects such as the Multispecies Pilot Project and the Gulf of Thailand (GoT) Fish Project," said Dave Martin, Deputy Division Director at SFP.
"Together, we can amplify our impact and accelerate progress towards a more sustainable and equitable seafood supply chain," Martin added.
MarinTrust operates a global certification programme for marine ingredient factories and supply chain businesses, ensuring that products are sourced and processed responsibly and can be traced back to legal, well-managed fisheries. Last month, the organisation confirmed that 72 facilities had already been certified by its updated standard, Version 3, which aims to establish fully traceable marine ingredients and promote the use of by-products.
SFP works across the seafood value chain, using its relationships with retailers, buyers, governments and fishers to encourage improvements in fisheries and aquaculture. In mid-August, it announced a collaboration with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, in the publication of a new roadmap for aquaculture reform through regional collaboration, piloted in India’s shrimp sector.
