Ornamental Fish Certification
Protecting threatened species and avoiding destructive collection methods. Maintaining traceability and caring for fish during handling and transport. Managing waste and energy use, and respecting workers’ rights.
About the certification
Friend of the Sea ornamental fish certification assesses specified marine and freshwater ornamental species and the activities used to farm, collect, handle and trade them. The requirements cover species eligibility, collection methods, animal care, transport conditions and records linking certified organisms to approved sources.
Collectors, farms and businesses handling or trading ornamental species can apply for the species and activities they want assessed. For buyers, the label relates to the approved species and supply chain. For applicants, the page explains the evidence, audit process and logo-use arrangements.
What can be certified
The standard covers ornamental aquatic species, including fish and corals, with provisions for live rock collection. The application identifies each species and whether it is farmed or wild-collected. Assessment covers the relevant collection, holding, transport and trading activities. It does not automatically approve all stock sold by a business.
What the standard covers
The standard excludes species listed as Vulnerable or worse on the IUCN Red List or protected nationally, with a stated exception for legally licensed farming. CITES Appendix I species are excluded. Valid authorisation is required for species in CITES Appendices II or III.
Closed-cycle farmed sources are an Important requirement when the species is available at an affordable international market price. Wild collection requires a fishery management plan, stock assessment and monitoring, and compliance with applicable quotas, size limits and closures. Collection in sanctuaries, reserves and protected areas is prohibited.
Explosives, poisons, coral breaking, gill nets and knotted nets are prohibited. Collection methods must be selective and allow undersized fish to escape. Important provisions cover harvesting to order, stock and mortality records, anchoring practices, lost-gear recovery and prompt release of non-target animals.
Corals must be farmed. Initial wild material used to start farming is subject to conditions governing the collection of starter material. These address fragment sizes, collection areas, reef structure and recovery. Live rock collection provisions address suitable areas and avoiding damage to reef structure.
Animal-care checks cover collector training, gradual decompression of fish collected below nine metres, careful handling, suitable holding facilities, compatible grouping, feeding and health monitoring. Disease, treatment and mortality records are required, with mortality below 10 percent at each trade stage classified as Important.
Species-appropriate water conditions must be maintained through holding and transport. Water-quality limits apply for cold-water, tropical freshwater and tropical marine species, with remedial action for the stated exceptions. Treatments are used only when needed and under veterinary and manufacturer directions.
Transport provisions address aeration, shade, crowding and journey speed. Packing must meet applicable legislation and allow animals to survive at least 150 percent of the expected journey time. Animals showing clinical signs of disease must not be dispatched.
Toxic, persistent chemical compounds are prohibited and an inventory of chemicals and medicines is required. CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs are prohibited. Waste controls cover reuse, recycling or lawful disposal where recycling is unavailable, and preventing fuel, lubricant and waste dispersion.
Energy records must be updated at least annually, with fuel efficiency calculated per unit of production and a commitment to yearly improvement. Labour checks cover child labour, legal minimum wages, health care and safety. Collector training addresses activity-specific risks, including diving.
A traceability system must verify that certified organisms originate from approved collectors or suppliers. Organisms from certified collectors must remain separate from uncertified organisms.
Assessment and certification
The audit evaluates the species and activities in the application, including traceability and separation. The audit can be conducted by an independent certification body or a Friend of the Sea scientific officer. The assessment route is confirmed when the audit is arranged.
Certification fees
Suppliers and end brands use the same published general royalties price list; the amount depends on the applicable category and scope. Audit costs are separate and VAT is added where due. Request a quotation confirming the species, supply-chain activities and logo-use arrangements.
Check certification status
Check the relevant product or service, approved scope and current status in the directory. Contact the team if the listing does not identify the facility, vessel or species you need to verify.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, where they meet species eligibility, harvest management and collection requirements. The standard also prioritises closed-cycle farmed sources when available at an affordable international market price.
No. The criterion concerns Vulnerable or worse and national protection status, with a licensed-farming exception. The separate CITES Appendix I exclusion and Appendix II or III authorisation requirements still apply.
The standard requires corals to be farmed. It allows initial wild collection for farming only under its stated conditions; this is not unrestricted approval for wild coral trade.
No. The relevant species and supply chain must be covered, origin records must link stock to approved sources, and certified organisms must be separated from uncertified stock.
Yes. Businesses using the Friend of the Sea logo need their own authorisation and must pay the applicable royalties, even when their supplier is certified. Supplier approval does not transfer logo rights.
Traceability documents are central, and the assessment also checks separation at the premises, handling and transport where applicable. An end-brand documentary route does not remove requirements for activities the applicant actually performs.
Apply for certification
List the species you farm, collect or trade, their origin, and the collection, holding, packing or trading activities you perform.
Submit the preliminary information form to request a scope review and quotation. The initial enquiry does not commit you to proceeding. If the form does not load, email info@friendofthesea.org.