Return to MarinTrust is pleased to announce that fisheries certified to standards benchmarked against the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative’s (GSSI) Global Benchmark Tool Version 2.0, Section D will now automatically meet the fishery assessment pre-requisite under MarinTrust’s Whole Fish Fisheries Criteria Version 3. As a result of a robust process, this update will take effect in August 2025 and reflects MarinTrust’s continued commitment to streamlining certification pathways while upholding rigorous assurance standards.
Third-party equivalency assessment results, covering the equivalence of the clauses and the assurance systems, were reviewed by MarinTrust’s committees, and approved by MarinTrust’s Governing Body Committee on 1st April 2025.
As the leading third-party certification Programme for marine ingredients, such as fishmeal and fish oil, MarinTrust strives to increase the availability of certified marine ingredients whilst maintaining a high level of assurance expected by the value chain. Laura Courage, Assurance and Risk Manager at MarinTrust, states: “We are pleased that the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) has achieved the recognition. GSSI is the first benchmark tool MarinTrust recognises in this way. This fruitful collaboration will help reduce duplication, increase availability of approved raw material sources and ultimately increase the availability of certified marine ingredients.”
Reducing Duplicative Effort
Although the unit of certification under the MarinTrust Factory Standard is the marine ingredient production facility, the assessment and approval of species in a fishery is a prerequisite: it is necessary to provide assurance of the responsible sourcing of raw materials used to produce marine ingredients.
This recognition means applicants and certificate holders will not need to undergo two separate fishery assessments. Certified fisheries already recognised by GSSI will meet the MarinTrust pre-requisite, helping to avoid unnecessary duplication and supporting a streamlined certification journey. Additionally, individual standards formally recognised by GSSI will no longer need to go through a separate recognition process under MarinTrust.
Applicable to Small Pelagics Fisheries
The alignment applies specifically to small pelagics fisheries used in marine ingredients, in line with MarinTrust’s scope. GSSI’s Section D of the Global Benchmark Tool essential criteria have been confirmed to fully align with the intent of MarinTrust’s Version 3 fishery requirements. Because GSSI recognition mandates compliance with all essential criteria, any GSSI-recognised standard is assured to meet MarinTrust’s fishery assessment requirements.
GSSI’s CEO, Øyvind Ihle, says “this achievement is a testament to the strength of our partnership with MarinTrust and our shared commitment to expanding the supply of credibly certified fish and marine ingredients. Given that our frameworks are aligned, we’re making life easier for fisheries and supply chains -helping them maintain the highest standards of assurance while reducing duplication and complexity. We’re pleased to see the GSSI Benchmark Framework serve as a trusted reference point (in sustainability assessments) to the benefit of this important sector."
Current GSSI-Recognised Fishery Certification Standards:
- Certified Seafood Collaborative’s Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Programme – RFM Standard v2.1, effective 1 October 2020
- Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF) Certification Programme – Fisheries Management Standard v2.1, effective 1 July 2016
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – MSC Fisheries Standard v2.1, 2018
- Marine Eco-Label Japan (MEL) Scheme – Fisheries Management Standard v2.0, 2018
For further details, see MarinTrust’s Recognition of Equivalence Procedure.
About MarinTrust
MarinTrust is a programme dedicated to marine ingredient production factories, allowing them to gain recognition for their responsible sourcing, traceability and production of marine ingredients. With MarinTrust, marine ingredients producers and users are able to meet the growing demand for responsible products, benefit from industry-driven guidance for a complex sector, demonstrate continuous improvement and substantiate their claims, and cultivate responsible practices within your company and drive positive change. Marine ingredients producers benefit from a recognised, robust and trusted process of third-party audits and assessments; marine ingredients users benefit by supporting their suppliers who are engaged in an ongoing and trusted process of third-party audits and assessments. More at www.marin-trust.com
About the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI)
GSSI is a global, multi-stakeholder partnership working to advance seafood sustainability. It provides a benchmarking framework to assess and recognise seafood certification schemes against internationally accepted guidelines, ensuring transparency, credibility, and consistency in seafood certification. GSSI aims to drive confidence in certified seafood and support responsible sourcing across the industry. More at Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI)