Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)

What Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) does

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) is an international initiative that supports coastal countries in enhancing the accessibility, credibility and usability of national fisheries management information. Its primary participants are national authorities responsible for marine fisheries management, working alongside industrial fishing companies, civil society organisations, and small-scale fishing representatives who collectively form National Multi-Stakeholder Groups (NMSGs) with equal representation across government, industry and civil society.

The core offering is the FiTI Standard — described as the only internationally-recognised transparency standard for fisheries management — which defines what information should be published online by national authorities across 12 thematic areas including fishing licenses, vessel registry, catch data, subsidies, and beneficial ownership. The standard specifies verification methods and public-debate applications. Supporting programmes include the Fisheries Information System (FIS) for data collection and publication, TAKING STOCK for country-level transparency assessments, the Progressive Improvement Tracker, the tBrief briefing series, and regularly published FiTI Reports. An International Board conducts periodic country validations to verify compliance against the FiTI Standard.

FiTI operates as a non-commercial initiative headquartered in Providence, Seychelles. It does not sell products or services and has no disclosed pricing model. Funding sources are referenced generically (governments, development organisations, partnerships) without quantification. The initiative engages with 24+ countries across Africa, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and is formally aligned with international frameworks including the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, FAO Voluntary Guidelines, CITES reporting requirements, and UN Sustainable Development Goals (notably SDG 12.3 and SDG 14.b). 123 organisations participate in NMSGs; 22 FiTI Reports have been published and 4 country validations completed to date.

Name

Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)

Legal name

Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)

Website

https://fisheriestransparency.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FiTI is the only internationally-recognised transparency standard for marine fisheries management, supporting coastal governments to publish and verify fisheries information across 12 thematic areas through National Multi-Stakeholder Groups, FiTI Reports, and country validations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fisheries Transparency Standards and Governance

NAICS

Fishing (1141), Other Marine Fishing (114119)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Assessments (EUAHAHAB)

Keywords

• Fisheries transparency standards
• Marine fisheries governance
• Multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Sustainable fisheries management
• Fisheries information systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

Seychelles

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) supports coastal countries in enhancing the accessibility, credibility, and usability of national fisheries management information. Its core offering is the FiTI Standard—the only internationally-recognised transparency standard for marine fisheries management—covering 12 thematic areas including fishing licenses, vessel registry, catch data, subsidies, and beneficial ownership. Implementation occurs through National Multi-Stakeholder Groups and is verified by an independent International Board validation process.

Product overview

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) is an international organization promoting transparency in marine fisheries management through a platform of interconnected programmes. The core offering is the FiTI Standard—the only internationally-recognized transparency standard for fisheries management—supplemented by the Fisheries Information System (FIS) for data collection and publication, TAKING STOCK for country transparency assessments, and tBrief series for stakeholder briefings. FiTI Reports and the Progressive Improvement Tracker enable countries to document and track transparency progress, while Validation Services ensure compliance verification. Implementation occurs through National Multi-Stakeholder Groups equally representing government, industry, and civil society stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fisheries Information System (FIS): A programme focused on fisheries information systems under the FiTI umbrella.
• TAKING STOCK
• tBrief series
• #KnowYourFisheries

Products and services

• FiTI Standard The internationally-recognised transparency standard defining what information should be published online by national authorities regarding marine fisheries management, how it can be verified, and how it can be used to inform public debate. Covers 12 thematic areas including fishing licenses, vessel registry, catch data, subsidies, and beneficial ownership.
• Fisheries Information System (FIS)
• TAKING STOCK
• Validation Service
• FiTI Reports
• Progressive Improvement Tracker
• National Multi-Stakeholder Groups (NMSGs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 countries committed to implement the FiTI Standard
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• World Trade Organization (WTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiTI co-sponsored an event alongside the 14th Our Ocean Conference in Kenya focused on data-driven partnerships for implementing the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO is referenced as part of the FiTI Standard development process; FAO's Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries and commitment to the Global Record of Fishing Vessels are incorporated into the framework
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiTI Standard incorporates CITES reporting requirements for endangered species such as sharks and sea cucumbers, including non-detriment findings reports
• National Multi-Stakeholder Groups (NMSGs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner123 organisations engaged in NMSGs equally represented by government, companies and civil society to ensure meaningful multi-stakeholder participation in fisheries transparency
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiTI supports achievement of SDG 12.3 (food loss reduction), SDG 14.b (small-scale fisheries support) and broader sustainability goals through transparency in fisheries management

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Global Fishing Watch: Global Fishing Watch provides transparency in marine fisheries through vessel tracking and open data sharing - operating in the same fisheries transparency space as FiTI, with complementary methodologies (vessel data transparency vs. policy/governance transparency) and a similar NGO-international governance structure.
• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI): EITI is the most direct peer to FiTI - both are internationally-recognized transparency standards for natural resource management, with multi-stakeholder governance, country validation processes, and nearly identical institutional architecture applied to mining, oil, and gas rather than fisheries.
• Seafood Watch (Monterey Bay Aquarium): Seafood Watch provides sustainability assessments and recommendations for fisheries and aquaculture products - comparable to FiTI's TAKING STOCK country transparency assessments, with both operating assessment frameworks that rate fisheries information accessibility.
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): MSC is the leading global standard-setting and certification body for sustainable fishing, directly comparable to FiTI's role as the only internationally-recognized fisheries transparency standard - both operate multi-stakeholder governance and country-level implementation.
• International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF): ISSF develops science-based practices and standards for sustainable tuna fisheries - directly comparable to FiTI's role in setting fisheries management standards, with similar stakeholder engagement models and industry-civil society co-governance.

Emerging players

• Oceana: Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization focused exclusively on ocean conservation, working on fisheries transparency, IUU fishing, and policy reform - sharing FiTI's mission of improving fisheries governance and accountability through public access to information.
• Pew Charitable Trusts - Ocean Conservation: Pew's ocean conservation program works on fisheries reform, IUU fishing, and marine governance - sharing FiTI's mission and overlapping as both a potential funding source and a parallel actor driving fisheries transparency globally.

Others

• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL is the global membership association for sustainability standards - a relevant ecosystem peer to FiTI as it sets credibility and good-practice guidelines for sustainability standard systems and could provide the institutional framework under which FiTI operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCohsIsIaeaEsfcSOeHnLhng
• Facebookfacebook.com/fisheriestransparencyinitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fisheries-transparency
• Instagraminstagram.com/fiti.global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)