Responsible Fishing

Ensuring responsible fishing and fishery management

Business Challenge

Seafood consumption is rising worldwide and the degradation of fish stocks continues. Overexploited marine resources and new developments in aquaculture have rapidly intensified at the expense of ecosystems and marine resources. In this context, retailers and restaurant chains are now asking for sustainability proof from their sourcing. How can producers, processors and importers demonstrate their sustainability to their clients?

Solution

Bureau Veritas proposes several responsible fishing services and schemes which are specifically adapted to your needs.

- Marine Stewardship Council® (MSC) eco-label with fishery certification and “chain of custody” certification (processor, importer and retailer)

- Friend of the Sea® (FOS) evaluation at the processing and fishery level and “chain of custody” evaluation

- Bureau VeritasResponsible Fishing Recognition for fishing companies

- Responsible Sourcing Recognition for importer, processor and retailer

Why Choose Bureau Veritas?

Seafood Expertise Bureau Veritas assists in every step of the seafood supply chain to ensure the highest standards are met along with Quality, Health & Safety, Environmental and Social Responsibility compliance. Major retailers have chosen Bureau Veritas for its seafood supply chain expertise and ship owners and food processing plants benefit from the complete selection of marine services.

Network With a presence in over 140 countries worldwide, Bureau Veritas offers both international expertise and in-depth knowledge of local standards.

Mark of global recognition The “Bureau Veritas” mark is a widely recognized symbol of your organization’s ongoing commitment to excellence, sustainability and reliability.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the difference between Bureau Veritas Recognition and a fishing eco-label?

  Bureau Veritas Recognition is an independent process to recognize best practices at the fishing vessel level based on “responsible fishing” specifications. These specifications are prepared by the client with Bureau Veritas assistance. This recognition is not a certification. A fishing eco-label is a certification based on a sustainable fishery standard. The fishing products can be identified with a logo which indicates that the traceability between fishing vessels to the final consumer retailer can be certified (“chain of custody” certification).

• If I am a processor, how may I obtain a “fishing eco-label” on my products?

  For MSC: In order to become certified, your industry must comply with the MSC “chain of custody” by an accredited certification body in order to show traceability of seafood products coming from MSC certified fisheries. The list of certified fisheries is available on the website www.msc.org. Bureau Veritas Certification has been accredited for this scheme since October 2007. For FOS*: It is necessary to make all demands of certification to FOS directly. The first step includes a check by FOS with your fishery and the feasibility of the certification against FOS criteria. If favorable, FOS proposes an accredited inspection body (such as Bureau Veritas) to evaluate the compliance of the fishery and the traceability in your processing plants by sampling. *http://www.friendofthesea.org

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