Whichfish site helps source seafood responsibly
Sourcing food responsibly and sustainably has become more important for the food industry, and now there is an online tool which can help businesses through this process.
Launched by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), the website Whichfish.com.au informs businesses dealing with wild Australian seafood about the stock, environmental and management risks involved.
“Whichfish will make it easier for businesses to determine which seafood to source by providing them an independent assessment of the risks associated with wild caught Australian seafood,” explained FRDC Managing Director Patrick Hone.
These risks can be monitored via the outlook section in each assessment, which shows whether they are expected to lessen, remain stable or worsen.
Although there are currently only 26 Australian species on the list, including Saddletail Snapper, Eastern King Prawn, Balmain bugs and Deepwater Flathead, more will be added throughout the year.
The company used Coles’ Responsibly Sourced Seafood framework in order to screen uncertified fisheries and identify major sustainability problems.
Species with third-party certification by a GSSI recognised scheme, such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), are also displayed on the website, but the company insists the methodology used to apply the framework differs from an MSC Certification. According to the website, it uses elements from the GSSI Benchmarked MSC Standard version 2.0, but “is neither a duplicate of it nor a substitute for it”.
“Coles recognises well-managed and responsible fishing is essential for future sustainability of our marine ecosystems, which is why since 2015 all our Coles Brand fresh, frozen, thawed and canned seafood has been responsibly sourced. We are delighted with the FRDC initiative, which will help continue the sustainability journey in our industry,” said Coles Head of Quality and Responsible Sourcing James Whittaker.
The Whichfish site aims to help seafood traders make more informed decisions and promote safe and sustainable seafood. Since it is a pilot scheme, the FRDC encourages feedback and additional species suggestions.
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