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VeriFish Recognised by the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”

A Mission-Aligned Action for Healthier Oceans

We’re thrilled to share some big news: VeriFish has officially been recognised as a Charter Action under the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”!

This recognition isn’t just a badge of honour — it’s a powerful signal that VeriFish is making a real contribution toward Europe’s most ambitious environmental goals. As part of this collective Mission, we join hundreds of actions working to heal our oceans, rivers, lakes, and coasts.

Whether you’re a policymaker, seafood producer, or curious consumer, your use of VeriFish tools supports this shared journey towards sustainability, traceability, and better food systems.

Being part of the Mission Ocean Charter means we’re not just talking sustainability — we’re shaping it

How VeriFish Supports the Mission Ocean and Waters

The Mission Ocean and Waters Charter revolves around three powerful objectives. VeriFish is helping bring them to life through innovative data tools, consumer education, and stakeholder collaboration. Here’s how:

🌱 1. Restore ecosystems & biodiversity
We help seafood lovers and buyers choose species that are responsibly sourced and biodiversity-friendly. When consumers know which fish are sustainably caught or farmed, they make choices that protect aquatic ecosystems.

🚫 2. Eliminate pollution
Our sustainability indicators spotlight practices that reduce environmental harm — from eco-friendly feeds to clean aquaculture systems. By pushing for transparency, we help reward producers who minimise their impact.

🔁 3. Support a circular, low-carbon blue economy
From emissions to waste, we track the invisible costs of seafood. By translating these into consumer-friendly formats (like traffic lights or nutrition-style scores), VeriFish empowers everyday decisions that favour a climate-smart, circular economy.

We turn complex science into simple choices — so everyone can help restore our waters.

Turning Recognition Into Real Responsibility

Being part of the Mission Charter isn’t just symbolic — it comes with real commitments.

VeriFish is stepping up to:

🔍 Make knowledge accessible
We follow the FAIR principles — making our data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable — to ensure open access to verified seafood insights.
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🗣️ Listen and involve citizens
From classroom games to social media polls, we invite people to be part of the conversation. We believe sustainability isn’t a top-down concept — it’s something we co-create with users.
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🏛️ Spark better decisions in sustainable value chains
Our indicators help retailers, governments, and innovators make smarter decisions. We support a future where doing the right thing is also the smart thing.
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🤝 Collaborate with others
We don’t work in a silo. VeriFish actively contributes to EU working groups, Horizon Europe clusters, and peer networks driving the ocean sustainability transition.
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📊 Help track progress
We align our reporting with EU goals — contributing data and feedback that help fine-tune the Mission’s direction over time.
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Our work is practical, collaborative, and rooted in the real-world impact of better seafood choices.

A Recognised Actor in a Europe-Wide Mission

Being part of the Charter means our action will soon be featured on the official EU Mission Ocean platform, alongside other leading initiatives working to restore the health of Europe’s waters.

Through this platform and future Mission events, VeriFish will connect with researchers, community leaders, businesses, and public bodies from across Europe — learning from others and sharing what works.

📣 This is about more than recognition. It’s a gateway to broader impact — aligning VeriFish with the European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, and the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy.

👉 Stay informed:

Visit the EU Mission Ocean portal
Subscribe to the Mission newsletter

Change is happening — and we’re part of it.

Help Amplify the Impact of VeriFish

Now that we’re officially part of the EU Mission, we want to take our message even further — and we need your help.

Whether you’re a policymaker trying to shift food systems, a teacher looking to spark curiosity, a parent making dinner choices, or a seafood company leading the way — VeriFish gives you tools to make a difference.

🧩 What you can do:

Let’s build a future where every seafood decision — from purchase to policy — helps restore our waters.

Every verified fish counts. Every informed choice matters.

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.