Data Tool Methodology 

This tool draws on publicly available FAO and RFMO global production data for farmed and wild fisheries. Both datasets pertained to 2018 production, and that data was downloaded in 2020. Proportions of seafood attributed to certification, ratings, improvement projects, and certifications still in assessment are based on data contributed by individual Collaboration member programs. Specific production data sources included:

  • Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT)
  • International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
  • Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
  • International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Seafood production refers to the defined species groupings as recognized by FAO in the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Reports. Species groupings applicable to this analysis include fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals, and seaweeds, but exclude aquatic mammals, reptiles, and other aquatic plants in the calculations of global productions.

Beginning with the dataset of seafood production volumes, certified and rated coverage from each program was assigned to the appropriate species and country. Rated volumes were reduced by certified production as well as volume covered by FIPs/AIPs and in certification assessment. After these decision rules were applied to deal with coverage overlaps between programs, all final coverage volumes were applied to production volumes to yield final proportions across each program. These data represent a snapshot of certification and ratings coverage of global seafood production as of June 2020.

In addition to its default Global Production view, the tool also offers a Target 75 (T75) view, which allows users to see how volumes within the scope of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) T75 initiative overlap with certification and rating coverage. The tool relies on SFP data to match production volumes to T75 sectors. It also relies on data from all Collaboration member programs to display the overlap between T75 scope and certification and rating status.