Verifish_logo

Interactive Aquafood Insights

Welcome the Interactive VeriFish!

Welcome to the Interactive Aquafood Insights page! Here, you’ll find a range of engaging tools and resources designed to promote sustainable seafood consumption and informed decision-making. Participate in our polls and questionnaires to share your thoughts and shape the future of aquaculture and fisheries. Explore our factsheets for clear, reliable information on seafood sustainability, nutritional value, and best practices. Additionally, discover media products created through the VeriFish project, aimed at educating and inspiring consumers, stakeholders, and communities toward more responsible seafood choices. Join the conversation and help build a more sustainable future for our oceans!

🔄 Disclaimer: This page will continue to evolve as the project develops. Media products such as flashcards, maps, calendars, recipes, and educational posters will be published and made available under free culture licenses for re-use.

Polls and Questionnaires

Get involved by participating in our polls and questionnaires. Your insights on sustainable seafood practices, aquaculture, and fisheries will guide our efforts and help us better understand the community’s priorities.

Make a difference by sharing your opinion!

I want to participate

VeriFish Multilingual Dynamic Factsheets

As part of the VeriFish initiative, we are developing multilingual and dynamic factsheets to provide clear, up-to-date information on sustainable seafood. These factsheets will allow users to access content in their preferred language and will update dynamically with the latest information.

The factsheets will cover key areas in seafood sustainability, including:

  • Production Chain: Legislation, compliance, and communication actions.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Stock status, habitat health, and ecosystem impact.
  • Socio-Economic Aspects: Insights on the supply chain, from catch to culture.
  • Health and Nutrition: Nutrient composition, allergens, and preparations.

 

The content will be drawn from trusted sources like the Global Record of Stock and Fisheries (GRSF)  and enriched with data from additional repositories. 

Initially, the factsheets will be monolingual, but in the future, they will be available in multiple EU languages with user-friendly filters and customization options. This will make the factsheets accessible and easy to navigate, supporting informed and sustainable seafood consumption.

Factsheets Under Construction

Videos

Simplifying Seafood Sustainability: The VeriFish Approach

VeriFish is transforming how we understand and communicate seafood sustainability. With its innovative Sustainability Indicator Framework, VeriFish empowers consumers and stakeholders to make informed, responsible choices about seafood products.

Our new video trailer introduces the key aspects of our work, from exploring the nutritional value and provenance of seafood to addressing potential health risks and environmental impacts. Learn how tools like the VeriFish Web App and tailored media products are shaping the future of sustainable seafood consumption.

📽️ Watch the trailer and join us in creating a healthier, more sustainable future for our oceans!

2 Questions, 6 Perspectives

2 Questions, 6 Perspectives is a VeriFish communication campaign designed to highlight diverse expert insights on sustainable seafood. In each short video, experts from the VeriFish project answer two fundamental questions:

  1. Why is sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture important today?

  2. How is VeriFish contributing to raising awareness about sustainable seafood production and consumption?

By presenting these concise, engaging perspectives, the campaign aims to raise public awareness about sustainability challenges in seafood, showcase the innovative work of VeriFish, and inspire responsible seafood choices.

Christine highlights the complexity of defining sustainability in seafood and stresses the need for clear, accessible information. She emphasizes seafood’s role as a sustainable protein source compared to other options, noting the crucial role of VeriFish indicators in guiding consumer choices.

Michelle addresses the unique sustainability challenges arising from diverse seafood species and fishing practices. She underscores the importance of simplifying sustainability information for consumers and explains how VeriFish is actively tackling this issue by creating clear, standardized indicators.

Ixai highlights ecological sustainability as crucial for maintaining fish stocks for current and future generations. He explains how VeriFish is not only raising awareness but actively collaborating with other EU initiatives, such as Mr.GoodFish3.0, to develop practical tools and indicators that support genuinely sustainable seafood production and consumption.

Tim Huntington, a director at Poseidon and a seasoned fisheries and aquaculture expert with over 30 years of experience, emphasizes the growing importance of environmental sustainability at the core of fisheries and aquaculture management. Tim particularly highlights aquaculture, noting it has historically been underrepresented in sustainability discussions. He believes VeriFish represents a groundbreaking business-to-business tool, enabling companies to clearly assess their sustainability performance, communicate strengths effectively, and proactively address areas needing improvement. According to Tim, VeriFish offers the first practical framework to help businesses genuinely build and enhance sustainability from the ground up.


Siân Astley, Secretary General at EuroFIR, highlights the essential role of food data in ensuring nutritious, safe, and affordable seafood while safeguarding both human health and environmental sustainability. She underscores that the VeriFish project tackles the complexity of sustainability by developing an innovative indicator framework, aiming to provide measurable insights into seafood products’ nutritional, environmental, and provenance attributes. Siân emphasises how these indicators empower both the food industry and consumers, allowing informed choices tailored to individual concerns and values regarding nutrition, sustainability, and provenance.

Themistoklis (Themis) Altintzoglou, a senior researcher at Nofima, specialises in consumer behaviour around seafood. His work focuses on encouraging consumers to choose and enjoy seafood more frequently. Themis highlights seafood as one of the most sustainable protein sources, emphasizing that both aquaculture and fisheries have significant potential for improvement in sustainability. Through VeriFish, he advocates clear, actionable advice to guide consumer choices toward more sustainable seafood options, ultimately contributing to healthier oceans and societies.

David Bassett

Employed by EATiP since 2017, David is responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of this European wide multi-actor ETP. 

Working in the aquaculture industry since 2005, including a decade as the executive of a UK producer association, he has been active in numerous projects from the sixth Framework Programme. Among other roles, David has served as a director of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum and served on the Technical Advisory Group of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC TAG) alongside being invited as a guest lecturer at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling (UK).  

In addition to working on multiple Horizon Europe projects David is one of the Technical Experts assisting with the implementation of the EU Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism in addition to chairing the research focus group of the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) and sitting on the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research – Fish Committee (SCAR-Fish). 

For further information on EATiP please see www.eatip.eu 

Paul Bulcock

Paul Bulcock is responsible for developing and maintaining aquaculture information in SFP’s systems (e.g., FishSource, AIP Directory, Metrics). He also supports development and implementation of aquaculture strategy through research and analysis.

Paul has extensive program support and aquaculture research experience (particularly in Southeast Asia), having worked for the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and DFID’s Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme (AFGRP) at the Institute of Aquaculture, in Stirling, UK. He has an MSc in aquaculture from the University of Stirling and a BSc in marine and fisheries zoology from the University of Aberdeen.

Paul is based in the UK, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Fabio Grati

A fishery biologist presently employed at the National Research Council, Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (Ancona, Italy), he brings to the table more than thirty years of expertise in marine environmental conservation and sustainable resource management. Over the course of his career, he has overseen and participated in numerous international projects focused on understanding and mitigating anthropic impacts on marine ecosystems. Since 2019, he holds a membership in the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) under the European Commission. Within this role, he has chaired two STECF Expert Working Groups (EWG 22-12 and EWG 23-18), where he led efforts to establish scientifically robust yet accessible criteria and indicators for assessing the sustainability of fisheries products.

Andrea Fabris

Andrea Fabris born 11.08.1968, Italian, has a Veterinary Medicine full graduation achieved at the University of Parma. He has also a Specialization in “Farming, Hygiene, Pathology of Aquatic Species and Control of Derivative Products ” achieved at Udine University and a Specialization in “Animal Feeding” obtained at Bologna University.

Actually (from May 2016) he is Director of Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani (API – Italian Fish Farmers Association). At National level behalf of API he is member of some working groups at the General Direction for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Italian Ministry of Health regarding aquaculture EU rules and their implementation at national and regional level, and member of Exotic Species Aquaculture Committee – Italian Ministry of Agriculture. Lecturer on in training /courses organized by Ministry of Health, Universities and Local Veterinary Authorities; member of Board of Directors of SIPI (Italian Society of Fish Pathology).

He is also involved at international level with the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) as Chairman of FEAP Fish Health and Welfare Commission. Andrea is part of the FVE (Federation of Veterinarians Europe) Aquaculture Working Group, and of FishMedPlus Coalition, and from the beginning member of Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) where is actually Chair of WG1 – Finfish.

He published as an author or co-author about 30 articles on international and national scientific journals concerning Fish pathology and Aquaculture and more than 60 issues on divulgative (fishermen and aquaculture producers associations) publications

Anne Marie Cooper

Anne shapes global sustainable fisheries and aquaculture policies through her work at the science-policy interface. Driven by a commitment to improving human lives and aquatic ecosystems, she serves as the Professional Officer for Fisheries and Aquaculture Advice at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anne leads ICES’ efforts in developing and applying methods to provide scientific advice on data-limited fish and shellfish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, covering over 60% of ICES stocks. She also heads the development of ICES’
advisory framework for sustainable aquaculture. Before joining ICES, Anne advised on national fisheries, aquaculture, climate, and marine science policy in the US Senate, House of Representatives, and NOAA. She holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology and Development Studies and Social Change Theory and an M.Sc. in Fisheries Science from the University of Minnesota.

Pedro Reis Santos

Pedro Reis Santos is Secretary General of the Market Advisory Council (MAC), a stakeholder-led advisory body to the European Commission and to the Member States on matters relevant for the EU market of fishery and aquaculture products, as foreseen by the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation.

Before his appointment, in July 2019, as Secretary General, Mr Reis Santos worked as a consultant for a Brussels-based business intelligence service monitoring EU developments on fisheries, agriculture, food, animal welfare, alcohol and tobacco policy. Prior to that, he was a trainee at the Fisheries Unit of the Council of the European Union and a trainee at the Control Unit of the Portuguese Fisheries Authority.

Mr Reis Santos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a Master’s degree in International Law and International Relations from the University of Lisbon with a thesis titled “Marine Protected Areas beyond National Jurisdiction”. Besides his first language, Portuguese, he speaks English and Spanish

Irene Kranendonk

Irene Kranendonk is the Impact Manager at Fish Tales and a board member of the Fish Tales Foundation. Her work focuses on developing and guiding Fish Tales’ sourcing criteria including management of the environmental and social certification schemes. With the Fish Tales Foundation and local partner organizations, she drives social and environmental improvements in small scale fisheries. Irene holds a master’s degree from Wageningen University in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management and is specialized in the field of fisheries ecology. In a previous role, Irene was sustainable seafood assessor for the Dutch seafood rating scheme the VISwijzer.