MarinTrust and GSSI announce automatic fishery assessment equivalence to ease certification for marine ingredients and reduce duplicative processes.
MarinTrust has announced a major simplification for the marine ingredients sector by recognising fisheries certified under standards benchmarked by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) as meeting its own fishery assessment pre-requisite.
The change, approved by MarinTrust’s Governing Body Committee on 1 April 2025, will take effect in August 2025 and is expected to reduce certification burdens while maintaining rigorous assurance standards.
This development applies specifically to small pelagic fisheries and is a result of GSSI’s Benchmark Tool Version 2.0, Section D, being deemed equivalent to MarinTrust’s Whole Fish Fisheries Criteria Version 3. It marks the first time MarinTrust has formally recognised another benchmarking tool in this way.
Laura Courage, Assurance and Risk Manager at MarinTrust, welcomed the move, stating:
“This fruitful collaboration will help reduce duplication, increase availability of approved raw material sources and ultimately increase the availability of certified marine ingredients.”
The new arrangement means producers and facilities seeking MarinTrust certification will no longer need to undergo a second, separate fishery assessment if they are already certified under a GSSI-recognised scheme. This includes major standards like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF), and Japan’s Marine Eco-Label (MEL).
Øyvind Ihle, CEO of GSSI, praised the alignment, noting:
“We’re making life easier for fisheries and supply chains—helping them maintain the highest standards of assurance while reducing duplication and complexity.”
For the marine ingredients industry—particularly producers of fishmeal and fish oil—this simplification reduces cost and administrative effort while maintaining credibility in responsible sourcing. GSSI’s framework, which assesses fisheries certification schemes against internationally recognised guidelines, is now officially a trusted reference point for MarinTrust certification.
The move is expected to further encourage uptake of responsible practices throughout the marine ingredients value chain and to support the ongoing sustainability transformation of the sector.
Further information can be found on the websites of MarinTrust and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative.
