Return to A new interactive resource page has been launched by MarinTrust to provide an accessible and transparent centre for the completed and on-going Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) under MarinTrust’s Improver Programme (IP).
The MarinTrust’s Improver Programme (IP) is a structured, timebound process, through which marine ingredient production factories sourcing from improving fisheries (i.e. Fishery Improvement Projects) can gain recognition of their production. There are currently 6 active FIPs accepted on the MarinTrust IP. To ensure the FIP information can be easily accessed, and progress reviewed, MarinTrust has improved the profiles on the website.
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 scrutinised by external stakeholders. In addition, to provide a simple and internationally recognised 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 which 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 assign a related letter grade and reports these on the FishSource website.
About the FIP Ratings process:
The FIP Ratings process is a comprehensive evaluation of each project's progress against their action plan. This independent review, conducted by SFP's team, occurs subsequent to the established review process by the MarinTrust programme for the Annual progress report.
Upon publication of progress on the website, the FIP Ratings team assesses the outcomes and evidence presented by each project. Subsequently, the team communicates the results to the MarinTrust (MT) team for publication.
For the six-month progress report, the approach differs. To minimize the economic impact associated with a full review, the MarinTrust Fisheries Manager takes on the responsibility of reviewing updates and subsequently provides them to the FIP Ratings team for evaluation. Once the team has determined the rating, it is promptly published on the website. It's worth noting that this progress report remains an integral part of the annual review for the following year.
In both instances, we ensure transparency and access to information by providing a link to the FishSource profile. This link allows stakeholders to access the rationale behind the allocated rating for each project.
About MarinTrust:
MarinTrust is a programme that is dedicated to marine ingredient production factories, allowing them to gain recognition for their sourcing and production of marine ingredients.
Marine ingredients play a pivotal role in aquatic and land animal feed as well as in the health supplement industry. We work to demonstrate that marine ingredients are responsibly sourced and produced through two international third-party certification standards:
- The Factory Standard (MarinTrust Standard) covers the sourcing and production of marine ingredients at the factory. The unit of certification is the factory, but the Standard ensures that the ingredients come from non-IUU fisheries that are well managed in accordance with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. It guarantees that production is carried out to high standards of safety and quality, with sufficient care given to the environment, workforce and local community. Learn more...
- The MarinTrust Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard allows businesses in the supply chain to be recognised for their use of MarinTrust certified ingredients. These can include processors, packers, storage providers, oil refiners and traders, who can demonstrate that the marine ingredients come from a MarinTrust certified factory, maintaining full traceability throughout the value chain. Learn more...
- The Improver Programme (IP): The MarinTrust Improver Programme is dedicated to marine ingredient production factories involved in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP). Through a structured, timebound process, they can develop and gain recognition for their sourcing of marine ingredients, while working towards certification. Learn more...
