FIP (Fishery Improvement Project)

FIP stands for Fishery Improvement Project, and refers to a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at obtaining MSC certification and solving environmental problems caused by fishing. By participating in an FIP, we can leverage the power of the private sector to promote positive change toward sustainability. Suppliers, retailers, and foodservice operators can also support fishing efforts to solve environmental and social issues by participating in their supplier's FIP or by purchasing FIP-based products.

It is important to note that FIP ​​is not a form of certification, but rather a "process of solving problems in fishing." Therefore, FIP does not have a specific logo mark like MSC or ASC certification. Even if seafood is produced by FIP, it is still in the process of working toward sustainable fishing, so there is no indication of this on the product.

There are two types of FIPs: "Basic", which aim to address specific environmental issues relevant to the fishery in question, and "Comprehensive", which aim to address a broad range of environmental issues in line with MSC standards to make the fishery more sustainable.
Before starting the project, you will first undergo a preliminary MSC certification audit to understand the current situation and make improvements to the areas that do not meet the principles set out in the MSC certification. If you are only aiming to solve some of the issues at this time, it will be called "basic," and if you are making improvements that cover all of the MSC fishery certification standards, it will be called "comprehensive." In either case, you must complete the improvements according to the work plan within a maximum of five years.

According to the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions guidelines, a FIP consists of six steps:

Every six months, the US NGO FishChoice checks whether FIP progress is appropriate using an assessment tool developed by the US NGO Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), and publishes the results on the "FIP Status Report" which shows the progress of FIPs around the world at a glance.Fishery ProgressIn order to have the FIP self-declaration checked by Japan, you must register on the website after fulfilling the conditions for posting, and then translate the progress report into English, submit supporting documents, etc., and wait for a third party to verify it.

The importance of FIP is also recognized in the seafood supply chain, and it is included as a priority product in the procurement policies of retailers such as Walmart, the largest in North America. As these companies aim to procure sustainable seafood with a long-term perspective, they directly support producers and regions with FIP that will likely obtain certification in the future, not just those that are already certified, and become a sales destination for their products, thereby helping them to achieve their own procurement goals as well as continuing improvement activities and achieving the goals of production sites.

In recent years, companies have become more conscious of CSR management, so FIP is also being emphasized from the perspective of business ethics. Recently, manufacturing and processing companies such as Nissui have also begun to pay attention to FIP. (※1)

Incidentally, in recent years, sustainable seafood has also come to include consideration of responsibility, and social issues (especially human rights) have also been called for. For this reason, it was decided this year to add these elements to the FIP improvement items. (Own policy）
Below are some examples from Japan.

(I.e. Kesennuma Blue Shark and Swordfish Longline Fisheries Improvement Project
Main contents: Encouraging stakeholders to catch and manage blue sharks, and improving management confirmation methods
Participants: UMITO Partners Co., Ltd., Kesennuma Deep Sea Fisheries Cooperative Association, Miyagi Prefecture Bonito and Tuna Fisheries Association, Iwate University Faculty of Agriculture Resource Economics, Policy and Mathematical Resource Management Laboratory

(I.e. Hiroshima Oyster Fisheries Improvement Project
Main activities: Conducting monitoring to understand the impact of oyster production on endangered species and the surrounding ecosystem, building a collaborative system with scientists, and improving the accuracy of information collection on catches and the impact on the ecosystem.
Participants: Kurahashijima Kaisan Co., Ltd., UMITO Partners Co., Ltd., Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union, Ocean Outcomes

※ 1 Results of the second survey on the status of fishery resources handled by the Nissui Group(September 2021, 09), see [Issues and Future Responses] ②

[Main references]
Seafood Legacy Co., Ltd. "Sustainable Fisheries Project"
Nissui "Results of the second survey on the resource status of marine products handled by the Nissui Group"
UMITO Partners Inc. "Note"
Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions “Guidelines for Supporting Fishery Improvement Projects”
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) “FIP Evaluation Program”
WWF “Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP) Online Training”