Certifying sustainability and tracing fish and seafood
Canadians care about whether fish and seafood are being caught or farmed in a way that ensures the product for the future. Part of sustainability is knowing where products come from, so unregulated fisheries don’t benefit from the industry.
Certification
Buyers of fish and seafood want to know if products come from legal and sustainable fisheries or aquaculture operations. Certification provides evidence that products are being grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. This is why the process is also called eco-certification.
Businesses can voluntarily choose to seek certification, which may result in improved market opportunities and increased economic benefits for the industry. There are various organizations around the world that conduct certification assessments.
Traceability
Traceability is used to identify:
- where a product is at any given time
- where it has been prior to its current location
- what was done to it along the way
Certification setups trace the source of products through a chain of custody requirements created by an independent third-party. This ensures the integrity of certified products throughout the supply chain.
Tracing the source of fish and seafood is of growing importance to buyers and governments. Some countries require proof that fish and seafood imports aren’t from illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries.
The Canadian Catch Certification Program helps industry meet traceability requirements for fisheries. The program provides proof that Canadian fish and seafood products come from legal, reported and regulated fisheries.
Eco-certification standards also include a traceability element to demonstrate that the fisheries have followed the chain of custody requirements.
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