Seafood Industry Leaders Recognize Growth of FIP Progress Tracking Website
After one year, FisheryProgress has grown to become the industry’s one-stop shop for reliable information about FIP progress worldwide, according to sustainability leaders in the seafood industry. Launched last October, FisheryProgress offers buyers consistent, verified information they need to make FIP sourcing decisions and makes it easier for FIPs to track and showcase their progress.
“FisheryProgress is an invaluable resource to research and identify fisheries that are making a genuine attempt to improve conservation,” said Henry Lovejoy from EcoFish, Inc. “Global fisheries are highly complex, and FisheryProgress as a credible and detailed resource on FIPs makes this task much easier.”
The site, a collaboration between the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions and FishChoice, gives users all the information they need to make decisions about whether FIPs meet their sourcing policy. For each FIP, users can view a progress snapshot and can easily access workplan details and supporting documentation if they need more information. The website makes it possible for FIPs of any size or scope to connect with potential buyers, making sourcing from FIPs easier than ever.
“FisheryProgress has been a critical addition to the field for those of us working with FIPs because there was no central clearinghouse for detailed FIP progress tracking,” said Ernesto Godelman of CeDePesca. “Now, FisheryProgress makes it easier for our FIPs to track and showcase our progress to our stakeholders and other potential buyers. And we can easily engage participants by posting engagement opportunities and sharing high-level information about our projects at the touch of a button.”
Since FisheryProgress launched last year, it has grown from 25 FIP profiles to more than 80, has nearly 900 users signed up, and represents FIPs from 50 countries worldwide. FisheryProgress hosts profiles of projects run by 29 different FIP implementers, including one of the world’s largest fisheries.
FisheryProgress has continued to make improvements. Based on feedback from FisheryProgress users and partners, changes include:
- Giving users another method for evaluating FIPs by adding Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s FIP ratings to each profile;
- Helping FIPs reach more customers by making each FIP’s overview page accessible without creating an account; and
- Revising a FIP’s option for highlighting engagement opportunities, so that FIPs can more easily and clearly describe what kind of engagement they need to reach their goals and how partners can contribute.
“We’re excited about the growth of FisheryProgress to help industry and conservation leaders make better FIP sourcing decisions with less time and effort,” said Kristin Sherwood, FishChoice program director. “We look forward to continuing to develop the site so it can be a useful tool for those that run and source from FIPs worldwide.”
Learn more about the site at www.FisheryProgress.org, and subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date on the site’s progress by emailing Kristin Sherwood (kristin@fishchoice.com).
