Sustainability indicator framework for communicating responsible aquafood consumption

Sian Astley EuroFIR AISBL on behalf of the VeriFish Consortium, Belgium. Background and objectives: VeriFish (project no. 101156426) has developed a comprehensive indicator framework for the aquafood sector, addressing environmental, stock management, and nutritional dimensions. This initiative aims to simplify and standardise communication, fostering informed consumer choices and enhancing transparency. By integrating verifiable data into actors’ communication strategies, the framework seeks to promote responsible consumption patterns, ensure the sustainability of aquafood systems, and support good communication practices tailored to diverse stakeholder needs. Methods: The indicators were identified through systematic review, focusing on core dimensions such as stock status, ecosystem impacts, climate footprint, governance, and nutritional attributes. The framework employs a tiered data approach: Tier 1 uses publicly available data ensuring broad availability, while Tier 2 incorporates value-chain-specific data to provide detailed, granular insights. This dual approach ensures flexibility and relevance across diverse operational contexts, facilitating adoption and integration by both small-scale and large-scale actors in the value-chain. Results: The framework provides measurable indicators for capture fisheries, aquaculture, and nutrition, enabling assessment of key sustainability metrics such as biodiversity conservation, carbon emissions, resource efficiency, and public health. These indicators form the basis of a prototype web application that will facilitate communication of sustainability by actors and enable consumers to make more informed decisions based on their priorities, such as environmental impact, nutritional quality, or responsible production. Conclusions: By standardising sustainability reporting and enhancing value-chain communication, the VeriFish framework enables aquafood actors to align with global environmental and health objectives. Potentially, it can foster consumer trust and empowerment, promote responsible ‘advertising’ practices, and pave the way for diverse, sustainable consumption. This framework represents a step toward a more transparent, equitable, and environmentally responsible aquafood sector, benefiting producers, consumers, and the environment alike.