Friend of the Sea is the only sustainable fisheries certification programme recognised and supervised globally by a National Accreditation Body. Several benchmark studies have confirmed the strength and reliability of the Friend of the Sea certification and chain of custody.

Yearly audits are carried out on-site by independent international certification bodies in consultation with stakeholders, against the strict Friend of the Sea environmental sustainability and social accountability criteria.

According to the Objection Procedure, individuals, companies and organisations can register input to the audits by submitting comments and/or objections through the Objection Form, which may lead to certification failure