FAQs - General questions

Who funds FishSource?

The principal funding for FishSource is from The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, under the fiscal sponsorship of the Trust for Conservation Innovation).

How can I contribute?

You just need to register and login to provide any feedback.

Why should I contribute?

FishSource relies in part on user reviews and ratings to improve the quality of the service. Your contribution will ensure major buyers of seafood are using high-quality information to assess the sustainability of their sources, and how to help improve those that fall short. By contributing your own knowledge and experience, you are helping fishermen, seafood companies, scientists, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders work together to ensure healthy fisheries and oceans for the future.

From the seafood business perspective, what is the added value of FishSource?

Since different stocks within the same species are expected to experience different sustainability status the added value of FishSource comes from providing actionable information to its audience, meaning, at the fishery and/or stock level. By doing this FishSource eases the work of seafood businesses committed to address the sustainability status of their sourcing options.

Who is the main target audience of FishSource?

FishSource is directed at seafood businesses in order to help them source sustainable product, and not the individual, final consumer.

How is the reliability and accuracy of the information on FishSource ensured?

FishSource is committed to providing the highest quality data on fisheries possible. Our controls include:

1. Full referencing all sources of information, so users can verify data;
2. Open, online review and comment feature on FishSource;
3. Author’s guide, which provides concise guidelines to contributors, including the scientific standards on which their contribution should rely;
4. Internal review by FishSource staff;
5. Overall supervision by an independent Science Advisory Board (SAB)composed by internationally recognized fisheries science experts which invites and appoints editors/coordinators for each fishery;
6. A User Advisory Group (UAG), composed of representatives from processors, buyers and the NGO community, which provides advice on the usability and features of FishSource, relevance and timeliness of the information provided, and whether the stated vision and objectives of FishSource are being achieved or not.

Does FishSource define sustainability?

No. FishSource provides both qualitative and quantitative information about specific variables which are key across international standards of fisheries’ sustainability (e.g., ICES, NMFS) such as biomass and fishing mortality levels, impact of fishing upon habitat or bycatch, but does not define a level above which is “sustainable” – FishSource leaves it to the users of the FishSource data to do that themselves, according to whichever standard of definition of sustainability they are using. FishSource is like a thermometer – it reports a reading, but it’s up to the user to determine whether its “too hot, too cold, or just right”.

What are the sources of information of FishSource?

General sources of the information on FishSource include:

1. Stock assessment reports from organizations officially engaged on assessing stocks, such as ICES (European fisheries), NOAA/NMFS (US fisheries), DFO (Canadian fisheries), New Zealand ministry of Fisheries, South American Institutes of Marine Research;
2. Scientific publications on fish and fisheries dynamics, fish population biology, environmental aspects of fishing;
3. Sustainability analyses, ratings and references from Environmental NGO’s / Aquaria, including publicly available Marine Stewardship Council assessment reports;
4. Official online databases on fisheries statistics and legislation (e.g., European Commission fisheries legislation; Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries – STECF).

What is FishSource all about?

FishSource is an online resource available to the public about the sustainability status of fisheries and fish stocks. FishSource consolidates and summarizes the main scientific and technical information needed by seafood buyers to evaluate the sustainability of fisheries.