Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and the Hilborn Lab at the University of Washington have launched the latest update of their Fishery Improvement Projects Database (FIP-DB). The database is a comprehensive resource for tracking the scope, attributes, and progress of fishery improvement projects (FIPs) worldwide, along with the fisheries they aim to improve.
The FIP-DB compiles and standardizes data from publicly available platforms, including SFP’s Improvement Projects Tracker and FisheryProgress.org, to provide a historical, real-time perspective on FIPs and the FIP landscape. With records dating back to 2003, this update covers the more than 340 FIPs that have existed since then, monitoring over 400 fish stocks across more than 1,000 fisheries globally.
“Robust research relies on structured, systematically collected data to support better-informed fisheries management. This database does exactly that for fishery improvement projects,” said Pedro Veiga, senior scientist at SFP. “As the database continues to expand, so does its contribution to research, with several peer-reviewed studies already relying on FIP-DB data.”
Beyond research purposes, the FIP-DB is also a valuable tool for other stakeholders and audiences, including:
- nonprofit organizations, providing insights into FIP progress and effectiveness for conservation and advocacy efforts
- the seafood industry, helping businesses evaluate sustainability initiatives, supply chain risks, and responsible sourcing commitments
- government agencies, offering reliable and consistently collected information and providing a data-driven perspective on fisheries improvement efforts to inform policy and regulatory decisions.
“The 2025 edition of CEA’s Global Review of Fishery Improvement Projects could not proceed without the robust data provided by FIP-DB. Our exploration of the global FIP landscape and our quantitative analyses rely extensively on the database,” said Max Levine, managing director, and Aaron Saliman, associate, CEA Consulting.
An updated Tableau dashboard is available alongside the database, offering useful visualizations and performance indicators on the FIP landscape. The FIP-DB website also provides details on the database structure, including its variables, data fields, and sources.
For more information and access to the FIP-DB, visit https://sustainablefisheries-uw.org/databases/fishery-improvement-projects-database/.