Certification and Traceability

Retailers are increasingly demanding independently verifiable evidence that fish and seafood products are from legal and sustainable fisheries or aquaculture operations.

Eco-certification for wild-capture fisheries and certification for aquaculture are popular tools to provide evidence that fish and seafood from fisheries and aquaculture operations are being harvested in a sustainable manner.

The ability to trace fish and seafood is a growing requirement of retailers and governments. Some countries require proof that fish and seafood imports are not from illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries, and most eco-certification and certification schemes have chain of custody requirements to ensure the integrity of certified products throughout the supply chain.

Eco-certification and Certification

Eco-certification for wild-capture fisheries and certification for aquaculture both involve third-party, independent review and assessment of the sustainability of the fishery or aquaculture operation against a pre-established standard that, depending on the program, may lead to permission for the buyers or sellers to use that third-party’s designated label.

Seeking eco-certification or certification is an industry-led, voluntary, market-driven business decision which may result in improved market opportunities and increased economic benefits for the industry.

Wild-capture fisheries

Eco-certification assessments may require extensive, documented evidence of sustainable outcomes for the target stock, by-catch, habitat and other ecosystem factors as well as evidence of appropriate management processes and measures to deliver those outcomes.

Aquaculture

Certification may entail meeting independent standards for food safety, animal health and welfare, environment, and aspects related to social responsibility and economic viability.

Traceability

Traceability of fish and seafood products throughout the supply chain is increasingly required by regulators and industry as a means to demonstrate to consumers, retailers and export markets that the products they are purchasing come from fisheries or aquaculture operations that are harvesting or operating in a sustainable and legal manner.

Wild-capture fisheries

The Canadian Catch Certification Program was established in 2010 to help the industry meet traceability requirements for the wild-capture fishery, to provide proof that Canadian fish and seafood products do not come from illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries. Eco-certification standards also include a traceability element to demonstrate that the fisheries have followed the chain of custody requirements established by an independent third-party.

Aquaculture

All aquaculture certification systems include a traceability element to ensure that the integrity of certified products is maintained throughout the supply chain. Traceability systems can identify where a product is at any given time, where it has been prior to its current location, and what was done to it along the way. A sophisticated traceability system can track finfish from egg to juvenile to adult fish (and feed), through to the marketplace, and shellfish from larvae to seed to final sale. This maintains confidence in Canada’s farmed seafood systems.

Industry engagement

Wild-capture fisheries

There were 20 Canadian fisheries certified under the Marine Stewardship Council's eco-certification program as of May 2012, and several more undertaking assessments or planning to seek assessment.

The Fisheries Certification System is used by Canadian exporters to obtain catch certificates. As a result, the Canadian Catch Certification Program has issued over 26,000 catch certificates to 325 Canadian export companies since opening in 2010.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture companies are also embracing certification. All four salmon-farming operators in British Columbia have some aspects of their operations certified to the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices standard. In addition, the three major salmon-farming operators in Atlantic Canada are also certified to the Safe Quality Food standard, the Best Aquaculture Practices standard, and to the Certified Quality Salmon standard.

Several aquaculture operators are also interested in the recently finalized National Standard for Organic Aquaculture. The Department supported the development of this standard to give consumers an easy way of identifying organically grown Canadian aquaculture fish and shellfish and ensure that imports are held to the same standards of production.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has collaborated with provincial and territorial government departments and agencies on the Aquaculture Sustainability Reporting Initiative to provide a regular cycle of fact-based reporting on the sustainability of aquaculture in Canada.