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WSRW Slams MarinTrust: 'Certification System Greenwashes Irresponsible Fisheries in Occupied Waters'

WESTERN SAHARA
Friday, November 14, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Accusation Alleges Multi-Million Euro Fish Products from Western Sahara are Falsely Attributed to Morocco, Violating International Law

The non-governmental organization Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) has launched a serious accusation against Marine Ingredients Certifications Ltd (MarinTrust), the London-based company whose blue-green logo allegedly guarantees responsible fisheries practices. WSRW claims that MarinTrust is certifying and, in effect, greenwashing multimillion-euro fisheries products from occupied Western Sahara under false country of origin.

Serious Inconsistencies and Lack of Transparency

European importers—particularly companies using high-value fish meal and fish oil for aquaculture and fish feed—often claim their products originate from certified sustainable or responsible fisheries. However, WSRW has challenged the certification sector, arguing that settler-operated fisheries in occupied Western Sahara cannot legitimately receive such accreditations.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975. The Polisario Front control the territory east of the Moroccan berm (wall)

A significant portion of the fish product sector in Western Sahara carries the MarinTrust certification. Yet, a review by WSRW suggests that the certificates lack both credibility and transparency, pointing to grave errors in all certificate documents.

MarinTrust appears to accept companies being misattributed to the wrong country and makes incorrect references to the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) where catches are made. All the Moroccan certified establishments are listed as being in «Laayoune, Morocco» or «Dakhla, Morocco». WSRW notes that neither city is internationally recognized as part of Morocco, calling this geographical error and failure to comply with international rulings "gross negligence."

The organization contends this practice contradicts rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and is inconsistent with MarinTrust’s own standards, which claim to “draw upon” the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The CJEU ruled in 2018 (C-266/16) that Morocco is not the “coastal state” of Western Sahara within the meaning of UNCLOS. By certifying these fisheries as “Moroccan,” MarinTrust effectively disregards the UNCLOS requirement that the legitimate coastal authority—the people of Western Sahara—must consent to resource exploitation.

Silence from MarinTrust and Moroccan Companies

WSRW first contacted MarinTrust on 29 November 2024, with confirmation of receipt on 2 December 2024. Despite follow-ups on 25 December 2024 and 6 September 2025, MarinTrust has provided no response.

This silence is mirrored by the complete silence of the Moroccan producing companies, European importers, and the third-party certification bodies. None have explained how certificates containing false country information could comply with MarinTrust standards.

Erik Hagen of WSRW stated: “MarinTrust’s so-called ‘responsibility’ is nothing but a glossy sticker on what appears to be a completely shallow structure. MarinTrust sells the illusion of responsibility while certifying exploitation in occupied waters.” He added that if MarinTrust truly respected the Law of the Sea, it wouldn't certify Moroccan fisheries in Western Sahara.

Certified Companies and Financial Implications

WSRW specifically inquired about certificates issued under the MarinTrust Standard for Responsible Supply of Marine Ingredients Version 2.0. and the Marine Ingredients Responsibly Supplied Chain of Custody Standard (Issue 1.1 and 2) to companies including:

• Tiscop Trading (2023)
• Copelit S.A.R.L (2022)
• KB Fish (2022)
• Laayoune Protein (2024)
• Protein and Oil Industry (2022)
• Atlantic Tank Terminal (2022)
• DIPROMER (2020)
• Köster Marine Proteins (2022)

Since WSRW sent its initial letter, three further Moroccan companies have been certified: Oued Eddahab Pro (2025), Pelagic Pro II (2025), and Overseas Proteine (2025), while the certificate for Atlantic Tank Terminal was renewed in 2025.

It remains unclear how much MarinTrust profits from accepting such certificates, as the company charges fees both per company certified and per facility, with fee structures published on their website.

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