How to Find a Qualified HRSR Consultant

Take the following steps to find an individual or team that meets the FisheryProgress requirements for HRSR consultants:

Step 1: Find an individual or team that holds the required topical expertise.

Step 2: Ensure the selected consultant(s) meet(s) FIP-specific requirements.

Step 3: Request pre-approval for the FIP’s selected HRSR consultant(s).

If you are looking for information on how to become a qualified HRSR consultant, please see here.


Step 1: Find an individual or team with relevant topical expertise. 

The individual or team must have the following required topical expertise:

  • Human rights and social sciences expertise
  • Basic fishery knowledge
  • Competency in Social Responsibility Assessment (SRA) Tool for the Seafood Sector implementation

This expertise can be demonstrated by a single individual or collectively as a team. 

The decision to work with a single individual or a team of individuals is entirely dependent on the FIP’s preferences. A team of individuals may be necessary if, for example, a FIP participant would like to work with a social auditor that does not have experience in fisheries, or if the FIP prefers to work with their comprehensive FIP consultant who does not have social expertise.  

Option A: Find a single qualified individual.

There are three ways to find a qualified individual:

  • Find an individual that is listed as “Qualified HRSR Consultant” in the FisheryProgress Database of FIP Consultants. Make sure to check your selected consultant’s language skills to ensure they are proficient in the language(s) spoken by fishers in the FIP, or otherwise you will need to hire an interpreter. 

  • Find an individual that is listed as both a “Social Expert” and a “Fishery Expert” by consulting the list of Recognized SRA Assessors on RISE. Make sure to check your selected consultant’s language skills to ensure they are proficient in the language(s) spoken by fishers in the FIP, or otherwise you will need to hire an interpreter.

  • Identify your own consultant and ask them to become a qualified HRSR consultant

Option B: Form a qualified team.

A FIP may decide to form a team instead of working with a single individual. For this option, qualifications are met collectively by the team rather than individually. At least one individual on the team must demonstrate competency in SRA tool implementation. 

To find individuals with human rights and social sciences expertise that have also been trained on the SRA, find individuals listed as a “Social Expert” within the Recognized SRA Assessors on RISE. To find individuals with basic fishery knowledge that have also been trained on the SRA, find individuals listed as a “Fishery Expert” within the Recognized SRA Assessors on RISE. You can also consult the FisheryProgress Database of FIP Consultants as a Qualified Comprehensive FIP Consultant. However, please note that Qualified Comprehensive FIP Consultants may or may not meet the requirements for competency in SRA tool implementation. 

For full details on required qualifications for assessors, see the Qualifications for Social Responsibility and Human Rights Consultants. f you have an individual(s) in mind that you would like to work with on the SRA and/or associated social workplan and they are not yet approved, please refer them to the information on become a qualified HRSR consultant with FisheryProgrss


Step 2: Ensure the selected consultants meet FisheryProgress’ FIP-specific requirements. 

Step 2a: Ensure at least one individual on the team has language skills relevant for the FIP.

Because assessors must interview fishers, it is necessary that at least one individual on your assessment team is proficient in the language(s) spoken by fishers in the FIP. Both the FisheryProgress Database of FIP Consultants and the Recognized SRA Assessors on RISE list each individual’s language expertise. 

If the assessor(s) you would like to work with does/do not have the requisite language skills, you will need to hire an interpreter to meet that qualification. 

Step 2b: Ensure all individuals on the team are free from conflict of interest with the FIP.

No individual on your assessment team may be an employee, employer,  buyer, or other individual with a financial or commercial interest in the FIP or its participants.


Step 3: Request pre-approval for the FIP’s selected HRSR consultant.

To ensure your FIP’s documents are not denied approval due to the qualifications of your consultant(s), FisheryProgress strongly recommends you request pre-approval of your selected consultant(s) well in advance of conducting the risk assessment, even if you have selected a consultant from the FisheryProgress Database of FIP Consultants. Obtain pre-approval through your FisheryProgress contact or by contacting FisheryProgress at contact@fisheryprogress.org.