Fisheries
Fisheries Certification
Harvested avoiding overfishing, bycatch of endangered species and seabed impact. Improving fuel efficiency and waste management. Respecting crews and workers’ rights
About the certification
Friend of the Sea fisheries certification assesses wild-caught seafood against the environmental and social requirements of the FOS Wild standard.
Certification applies to the defined products or species in the approved scope. It does not certify the organisation as a whole or automatically cover everything it sells. Audits check the relevant production activities and evidence needed to establish product compliance.
What can be certified
Wild-caught species and their products can be certified within a defined fishing scope identifying the relevant areas, methods and vessels. Fishing operators, fleet owners and seafood businesses can apply. Enhanced fisheries and enhancement activities are excluded from FOS Wild; farmed products follow the aquaculture standards.
What the standard covers
The eight areas below summarise FOS Wild version 4. The full standard sets out the criteria, assessment parameters and applicability conditions.
The target stock must meet the standard’s requirements on overexploitation and overfishing, assessed using the best available scientific evidence and the reference points specified in the standard. A precautionary approach applies where data are limited.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 1.1.1-1.1.5.
Fisheries must assess their effects on ecosystems and habitats and comply with marine protected area regulations. Fishing gear must not affect the seabed unless its impact is demonstrated to be negligible.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 2.1-2.3.
The standard addresses accidental catches, threatened species and discards. Discards must not exceed 8% of total catch by weight, using the standard’s definition. Shark finning is prohibited.
The threatened-species criterion uses IUCN assessments no more than ten years old. Its assessment parameters address species classified as Vulnerable or higher risk among regularly caught species exceeding 0.25% of total catch weight.
For tuna fisheries, additional requirements cover non-entangling fish aggregating devices (FADs), deployment records, marking, tracking, recovery and reporting of lost FADs. Turtle excluder devices apply to shrimp trawlers. These requirements have the classifications and applicability conditions set out in the standard.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 3.1-3.6. Non-entangling FADs do not establish a FAD-free claim.
Requirements cover an effective legal framework and fishery management plan, transparent and participatory management, a precautionary approach, and monitoring and enforcement. Fisheries must record bycatch and discards for every fishing trip and implement measures to manage their effects. Lost fishing gear must be addressed through retrieval measures and applicable recovery and reporting provisions.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 5.1-5.8, including their applicability conditions.
Requirements cover recycling, reuse or reprocessing of materials and measures to prevent waste entering the sea, including fuels, lubricants and plastics. They also address the use of available non-toxic chemical alternatives and the storage and disposal of damaged or end-of-life fishing gear, subject to the stated conditions.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 6.1-6.3 and 6.5-6.6.
Fisheries must keep a register of energy sources and consumption, updated at least annually. Calculating a carbon footprint per product unit and committing to annual reductions is a recommendation, not a compulsory requirement for certification.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 7.1-7.2.
Requirements cover child labour, wages, access to healthcare, workplace safety, accident records, freedom of association and collective bargaining. Forced labour and discrimination are prohibited. On-board conditions must include clean, habitable vessels and sufficient regular rest.
FOS Wild v4: requirements 8.1.1-8.1.9.
This is a summary. The full applicable standard defines the requirements and evidence. Essential and Important criteria follow the corrective-action rules set out in the standard; recommendations are not compulsory for certification.
FAD use and FAD Free requirements
Fish aggregating devices, commonly called FADs, are floating or anchored objects used to attract fish, particularly tuna. Some traditional designs use hanging netting that can entangle sharks, turtles and other marine animals.
The FOS Wild standard includes requirements for tuna fisheries that use FADs. These cover non-entangling construction, deployment records, marking, tracking, recovery and reporting of lost FADs. Meeting these requirements does not make the catch FAD free: a non-entangling FAD is still a FAD.
FAD Free is a claim assessed within the fisheries requirements, not a separate certification programme. The claim applies only when the catch is made without FADs and the fishing method and product traceability can be demonstrated during the audit.
Independent certification and international recognition
An independent certification body assesses compliance with the applicable product requirements. Friend of the Sea is listed as an endorsed scheme by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI). This is scheme-level recognition, not a separate endorsement of every product.
End-brand audits are based on documentary evidence for the products to be certified, including supplier certificates, product information and traceability records. Producers and processors are assessed against the requirements relevant to their production activities. A brand that also manufactures or processes products must include those activities in its assessment.
Certification fees
Suppliers and end brands use the same published price list. The applicable fee depends on the relevant category, revenue band and products or species covered; using the same list does not mean every applicant pays the same amount.
The price list shows annual royalties for new contracts. Audit costs are quoted separately by the certification body. VAT is additional where applicable.
Standards and supporting documents
Supporting documents
Check certification status
Search the directory for the relevant product or species and check its certification scope and status. A company name in the directory does not mean that all its products are certified.
Frequently asked questions
Certification applies to the defined products or species in the approved scope. It does not certify the organisation as a whole or automatically cover everything it sells. Audits check the relevant production activities and evidence needed to establish product compliance.
Yes. An end brand must pay the applicable Friend of the Sea logo royalties and obtain authorisation to use the logo, even when its supplier is already Friend of the Sea certified. Supplier certification does not transfer logo-use rights to the brand. Only the approved products may carry the logo.
No. Both use the same published price list. The applicable category and fee calculation determine the amount payable. Audit charges are separate.
Yes. Applications are open regardless of business size or a minimum vessel count. The proposed products and fishing scope must meet the applicable requirements.
No. Non-entangling fish aggregating devices are still FADs. A FAD-free claim needs a separate assessment of catch methods and traceability.
Yes. Processors of certified products undergo a chain-of-custody audit. The procedure exempts businesses that only trade, distribute or store certified products in tamper-proof packaging from that CoC audit. This is distinct from an end brand seeking approval and logo rights for its own products.
The seafood certification procedure provides for a three-year certification cycle, with continued compliance and required follow-up audits. The certificate dates and current status identify whether a particular product is covered.
Apply for certification
Tell us which species and products you want certified, where and how they are caught, and which vessels and suppliers are involved.