FIP Evaluation Program
100 percent of SFP’s partners use FIP ratings to guide their sourcing commitments.
SFP is a leader and innovator in evaluating fishery improvement projects (FIPs) through our FIP Evaluation Program.
SFP’s FIP Evaluation Tool defines and assesses fishery improvement projects (FIPs) against six stages of achievement, including development of the FIP structure (Stages 1 and 2), implementation (Stage 3), improvements (Stages 4 and 5), and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification (Stage 6).
Our FIP Progress Ratings system is the first and only methodology that applies time benchmarks to quickly understand the rate at which a fishery is improving and assign a related letter grade. Each FIP receives a rating, ranging from an “A” grade of Exceptional Progress to an “E” grade of Negligible Progress.
SFP’s progress ratings is the lead metric on FisheryProgress.org, the online platform where FIPs are publicly reported and reviewed. Ratings for all public FIPs that SFP is aware of are maintained and displayed in the FIPs section for all FishSource profiles that are linked to fishery improvement projects.
Our FIP progress ratings are also widely used by the seafood industry and factor into their decision making. For example, some companies will only buy seafood from a FIP with a “C” grade or higher. In turn, this influences and drives further improvements in specific fisheries.
“We rely on SFP’s FIP ratings to guide and evaluate our seafood purchases. Our corporate commitment to sustainable seafood sourcing includes purchasing seafood that is either certified to a GSSI benchmarked standard or coming from an A-C rated FIP. SFP’s FIP Evaluation Tool helps us to ensure our purchases from FIPs are making progress and improvements,”
– Jennifer Wandler, senior director, category management, seafood, US Foods
Interactive FIP status and ratings map
SFP＠15 FIP Evaluation Program timeline
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Learn more about SFP’s FIP Evaluation Program.