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What is the MarinTrust Improver Programme?
The MarinTrust 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. It is not a standard and does not allow certification claims.
It is intended for fisheries which do not meet the requirements of the MarinTrust standard, one of which being that the raw material used for production is approved against the MarinTrust Fishery Assessment.
The MarinTrust IP provides a process through which an improvement plan for the fishery can be developed and accepted. The production site may then apply to use this improvement raw material as part of the IP and must pass the MarinTrust site audit in order to gain acceptance onto the programme.
Once accepted onto the Improver Programme, the fishery the site is sourcing from has a structured improvement journey mapped out with agreed milestones and a timeframe that must be met in order to maintain IP recognition.
History
MarinTrust and its Governing Body Committee became aware that despite the initial success of their Standard, a lot of marine ingredient producers failed to meet the criteria. Reasons for this included operational issues within a factory, or with raw materials and their associated fisheries. Many of these producers are based in Asia, which is rapidly increasing aquaculture potential. This means that local companies wishing to use MarinTrust certified ingredients have to import at a higher cost, limiting the socio-economic benefits to the local communities.
Main objective
The solution was to develop a credible and robust structured programme of improvements for producers, in line with the MarinTrust Standard, to allow accepted Improver Programme factories to reach the standard within a defined timeframe.
Impacts
Read more about the impacts of the Improver Programme by visiting our Case Studies page.