GSSI releases certification benchmarking tool for public consultation

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) on Tuesday launched the public consultation of its updated Global Benchmark Tool for seafood certification schemes that will run until 19 May.

This latest update has taken on board comments from the last public consultation, held in 2014. It now includes both GSSI Requirements and Indicators.

Seafood certification schemes need to meet the requirements to be recognized by GSSI. These are grounded in the Code for Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and FAO Guidelines for Ecolabeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine/Inland Capture Fisheries and FAO Technical Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification.

The GSSI Indicators, meanwhile, allow schemes to show their diverse approach and help stakeholders understand where differences exist. These are based on the CCRF and related FAO documents, ISO normative standards and ISEAL codes.

Speaking at a GSSI meeting at Seafood Expo Global, organized to mark the start of the public consultation, Herman Wisse, GSSI program manager, explained that the initial feedback made it clear that the Benchmark Tool should not result in the creation of any new standards and should only use those that already existed.

“The feedback was that the tool should be incredibly robust but efficient too,” said Wisse.

Alongside the public consultation, the tool is also being road-tested through a pilot phase that will run until July. The certification schemes taking part in the pilot were announced last month at the Seafood Expo North America. They are the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Friend of the Sea (FOS), Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), Iceland Responsible Fisheries Foundation (IRFF), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and VietGAP.

Feedback from both the public consultation and the pilot will contribute to an updated GSSI Benchmark Tool that will be launched in the fall.

Ron Rogness, VP-corporate relations at American Seafoods LLC and member of the GSSI Steering Board, said the consultation and pilot are a “test-run for how laudable the initiative is,” and that the GSSI expects to receive a lot of invaluable feedback.

Still under discussion is how often the certifications schemes should be surveyed and the feedback, particularly from the pilot testing, will help dictate this policy.

“We have to make it work in the context of the seafood industry and for our stakeholders,” said Aldin Hilbrands, aquaculture program director for IDH and member of the GSSI Steering Board.

Beyond the launch of the tool, GSSI will look to incorporate social issues in its 2016 plan and has already conducted a scoping study of the area.

The GSSI has grown from 17 founding partners in 2013 to 32 partners today.

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None