1. Good – the quality of the fish
   

2. Clean – sustainability
   

3.     – stock status
   

4.     – selectivity of the fishing gear
   

5.     – wider environmental effects
   

6. Fair – fair returns
   

We take account of other initiatives when assessing sustainability, starting with the UN FAO’s Global Code of Conduct. We then look at regional scientific assessments on the state of the stocks, and those of the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Marine Conservation Society’s Fish Online.

We then go out on specific local boats. This is time consuming but important, as there can be differences in the health of stocks within a region, and the practices of individual boats can have an impact. This also allows us to assess quality which can also vary between boats. We document this here, so everyone can see and comment. If we intend to source directly from a boat, we also agree a fair trading relationship and supply route.

At the end we have 3 scores, for the good, clean and fair criteria, on a 5 point scale from worst to best.