NGOs and FIPs

FIPs are required to transparently demonstrate that they are making progress towards sustainability. They may be supported or partnered with an NGO to ensure that this is a credible process. For example in the UK a number of FIPs have been set up and are running with the support of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and they must comply with an MSC approved FIP process.

The Irish Brown Crab FIP works with two NGO's which support its activities and goals. The first is Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) which is a business-focused NGO that works to reduce the barriers to action by industry in creating a more sustainable world. The second NGO is FisheryProgress.org which provides an independent database which tracks the progress being made by FIPs around the world.

SFP has created a database of fisheries, accessible to all, which contains assessments of sustainability and improvement needs. There are more than a thousand profiles now available with more being added every week. This database – called FishSource – reduces one of the primary barriers to seafood companies engaging in fisheries improvement, namely access to reliable and detailed information.

Once seafood companies have information, they can then identify where the problems lie in their supply chain and take action. However, trying to engage directly in a fishery, which may be thousands of miles away, is a daunting prospect for most organizations, especially when they have no in-house expertise on marine management. SFP helps to overcome this barrier by creating Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) – essentially multi-stakeholder groups that include catchers, processors, and others with an interest in the fishery who work together to create and implement an improvement plan. SFP now has more than 40 FIPs operating around the world.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Website

The Rubicon Centre,
CIT Campus,
Bishopstown,
Cork,
Ireland

Office: +353 21 492 8934
Phone: +353 87 2591376

Email: info@irishbrowncrabfip.ie

Next Meeting of Crab FIP

The next meeting of the Irish Brown Crab Fishery Improvement Project will take place in the Citywest Hotel, Dublin from 10 to 12 on Wednesday the 26th June 2019. All members of the FIP are welcome to attend.