Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative to launch its Global Benchmark Tool at Vigo

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) is a global platform and partnership of seafood companies, NGOs, experts, governmental and intergovernmental organizations. The mission of GSSI is to ensure confidence in the supply and promotion of certified seafood as well as to promote improvement in seafood certification schemes. GSSI is co-financed by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through its develoPPP.de program. GSSI has grown from 17 Funding Partner companies in 2013 to 32 in 2015.

GSSI’s Global Benchmark Tool is a first in the seafood sector worldwide. It will provide clarity on seafood certification and ensure consumers can be confident in the certified seafood on offer.  This will help to make purchasing decisions more efficient by providing greater choice, drive down costs, and promote environmental sustainability. GSSI has developed this collective, global, non-competitive approach to address issues in seafood certification based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and internationally agreed Guidelines. This milestone has now been achieved thanks to the strong support of partner companies, NGOs, experts, governmental organizations and FAO.

The seafood certification schemes that participated in the pilot for the Tool were:

• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), www.alaskaseafood.org
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), www.asc-aqua.org
• Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA-BAP), www.gaalliance.org
• Iceland Responsible Fisheries Foundation (IRFF), www.responsiblefisheries.is
• Indonesia Good Aquaculture Practices (IndoGAP), www.cbib.kkp.go.id
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), www.msc.org
• Thai Agricultural Standard : TAS 7401-2014, www.acfs.go.th/eng
• Vietnam Good Aquaculture Practices (VietGAP), www.vietgap.tongcucthuysan.gov.vn 

The GSSI Tool will go live on 8 October 2015 at the 20th anniversary celebrations of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in Vigo, Spain. 

For more information about the Tool or the side-event at Vigo, contact: [email protected] or visit: www.ourgssi.org