FishSource

FishSource is an online information resource about the status of fish stocks and fisheries. SFP created FishSource with the vision that fisheries experts around the world could openly share their public scientific and technical information and provide major seafood buyers with up-to date, impartial, actionable information on the status of fisheries and the improvements they need to make to become sustainable.

FishSource does not make sustainability judgments itself – it compiles and summarizes all the information analysts need to evaluate sustainability in one place. Our goal is to help provide information on as many fisheries as possible, to help guide as many companies as possible to source fish sustainably. By assembling the essential data and making it freely available, FishSource lowers the key barrier to entry for companies to engage in sustainable sourcing. Companies thus save time and resources by accessing FishSource for sustainability information and fisheries status. FishSource's open source platform also allows other organizations to conduct their own assessments based on the available data.

FishSource addresses the status of fisheries and of fish stocks through the lenses of the worldwide most accredited sustainability standards:

• How well is the fishery managed? Does stock assessment use up-to date methods? What is the scientific advice provided and how exempt it is from the decision-making process of fisheries management? What are the management measures in place? Do they cope with the scientific advice? What is the compliance level of fishers? Do they cope with quota / limits set? Is illegal fishing occurring?
   
• What is the status of the stock? Are there any reference points in place and if so are they precautionary? What is the current stock and harvest levels against the reference points set? What are the trends of biomass, fishing mortality, catch, recruitment, and of other important variables? If the stock is in bad condition are there any measures set towards recovery?
   
• What are the Environment and Biodiversity most relevant facts related to the fishery? Are there any Protected, Endangered or Threated (PET) species impacted by the fishery? Can such impact be measured? What is the level of bycatch? What is the impact of fishing activities and fishing gears upon environment? Are there any marine reserves or protected / no-take areas defined? How do they relate with what is known about the biodiversity relevance of coastal areas, continental shelves and slopes?

Guided by top standards we endeavor to provide high value, unbiased, updated data on the sustainability status of fisheries worldwide.

How FishSource Works

FishSource works as a “common shared database”. Analysts from NGOs (including SFP), aquariums, seafood companies, industry associations and governments share public data. By doing this FishSource lightens the burden of doing the basic research behind sustainability evaluations, allowing analysts to cover many more fisheries.

FishSource works also as an “online contributor network” (similar to moderated wiki). Invited experts contribute material on individual issues in individual fisheries write parts of the basic research profiles. Experts provide information on fundamental aspects from the fisheries such as stock status, fisheries management, gear technology or impacts on endangered species and habitats. The contributor network allows us to collect more information on less well-known fisheries in developing countries.

Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page of FishSource for more information.