How the VISwijzer works

View our ratings methodology

The VISwijzer is a tool developed to check if the fish that you buy is sustainable. The VISwijzer is managed and maintained by Good Fish.

Assessments on the VISwijzer are based on the most recent scientific data regarding fish stocks and databases of the World Wildlife Fund, Fishbase and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

We have developed the VISwijzer for you as consumer! It makes it even easier to make sustainable choices. Do you know how the VISwijzer works or how it can be used? Watch the animation below and find out!

To make it easier to see the differences between sustainability assessments for wild caught fish and farmed fish, a distinction has been made between two categories:

Farmed fish are assessed on:

  • Use of recourses
  • Impact on the environment
  • Management

Wild caught fish are assessed on:

  • Fish stocks and fishing pressure
  • Ecosystem effects
  • Fishery management

The VISwijzer currently does not consider animal welfare in fisheries, food safety and CO2 emmisions in aquaculture and during transportation. However, we do have an opinion on these matters. More information can be found on our webpage Fish issues.

If you wish to go into further detail regarding our assessment methodology, follow this link to the WWF website to look into our shared methodology.