Friend of the Sea was founded by Dr Paolo Bray in 2008 – European Director of the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin-Safe Project.The Dolphin-Safe Project saved millions of dolphins from death in the tuna nets and started the sustainable seafood movement.

Dolphin Safe Project
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Friend of the Sea is currently a project of the World Sustainability Organization, an international NGO whose mission is to promote environmental conservation. 

Friend of the Sea has become the leading certification standard for products and services which respect and protect the marine environment. The certification awards sustainable practices in Fisheries, Aquaculture, Fishmeal and Omega 3 Fish Oil. Friend of the Sea also promotes pilot projects related to restaurants, sustainable shipping, whale and dolphin-watching, aquaria, ornamental fish, UV creams and others.

Friend of the Sea is the only sustainable fisheries certification process 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 onsite by independent international certification bodies in consultation with stakeholders, against the strict Friend of the Sea environmental sustainability and social accountability criteria.

Friend of the Sea also promotes conservation projects for protection of the ocean.

Alignment with Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals 

In its continuous effort to achieve the balance in our ecosystems, WSO has conducted SDG Impact Assessment which demonstrates that organization in its activities fully aligns with Agenda 2030 and its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), creating positive direct impact on 12 SDGs (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14 & 15) and contributing indirectly to the remaining five (3, 5, 10, 13 & 16).

The SDG Impact Assessment demonstrates how WSO contributes to the SDGs, aiming to provide a better understanding of the complexity and the different aspects of sustainable development. The Assessment covers all areas of sustainability and provides a better understanding of how to be better equipped to prioritize actions ahead. The methodology of the report is based upon each SDG which is assessed according to the following categories: direct positive, indirect positive, no impact, direct negative, indirect negative and more knowledge needed.

You can download the entire report here.