Fair Trade Certified is an American eco-label, independent of Fairtrade International. It can be found on a wide range of food products, including wild-caught seafood. Fair Trade Certified is committed to fair working conditions, better wages for fishermen, and more sustainable fishing practices.
The label sets strict requirements for working conditions. Child labour, forced labour, human trafficking, discrimination and intimidation are prohibited. Workers are entitled to safe working conditions, fair wages and clear employment contracts. Fishermen and their communities also receive an additional premium on top of the sale price. They can decide how to use this money, for example, to fund local projects or improvements within the fishery.
Fair Trade Certified also focuses on environmental protection. Fishers must collect information on fish stocks, bycatch and the impact of their fishing activities on the ecosystem. If this information shows that fish stocks are under pressure, a recovery plan must be developed. There are also measures in place to protect the marine environment, such as reducing marine litter and retrieving lost fishing gear.
No certification scheme is holistic however. Fair Trade Certified does not directly require fishermen to reduce bycatch or effectively prevent overfishing. Though fishers must collect data on fish stocks and bycatch and develop management measures, this is no guarantee that fish stocks remain healthy or that bycatch actually decreases. The label also sets no requirements for reducing the climate impact of fishing or its energy consumption. Lastly, Fair Trade Certified does not address animal welfare or require humane methods of killing caught fish.
Fair Trade Certified offers notable specific benefits in terms of fair trade and working conditions, alongside requirements for improved fisheries management. However, the label does not guarantee that a fishery is caught fully sustainably. Want to know if a certain fish species was caught responsibly? Go check the species, catch method, and origin on the VISwijzer.