San Diego, CA— FISH Standard for Crew Inc. is pleased to announce that fourteen catcher-processor vessels of the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) have been awarded FISH certification. The fleet is comprised of American flagged vessels operating in U.S. waters in the Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting fisheries. The APA vessels are owned by its member companies, American Seafoods, Arctic Storm, Coastal Villages, Glacier Fish, and Trident Seafoods. MRAG Americas auditors awarded the certification after extensive policy and procedure review, on-site vessel inspections, and face-to-face interviews of crew members.
“We are very proud to be among the first to attain FISH certification, a recognition that affirms our companies’ long-standing commitments to safety and responsible treatment of our crews,” said Stephanie Madsen, APA’s Executive Director. “The FISH certification process was challenging, yet practical and fair, and pushed our fleet to improve on our already high standards.”
“Congratulations to APA and its fleet. FISH serves as one tool harvesters like APA can use to demonstrate to its customers and to stakeholders that their seafood is harvested from responsible sources with respect to crew treatment, compensation, and on-board conditions,” noted Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim.
Retailers and food service operators are increasingly committed to providing seafood to their consumers that is not only environmentally sustainable, but socially responsible. The third-party assurance that comes with FISH certification gives confidence to buyers and consumers that the crews who harvest seafood like that from the APA catcher-processor fleet are treated with respect and fairness.
APA joins Nueva Pescannova’s NovaNam fleet in Namibia in successfully attaining FISH certification. FISH is actively working with organizations and fleets in Alaska, Papua New Guinea and Iceland and is in discussions with additional organizations around the world. ###
FISH Standard for Crew provides a voluntary, independent and accredited third-party certification program for labour practices on vessels in wild-capture fisheries around the globe.
The FISH Standard is based on ILO-C188 and related guidance.
The At–sea Processors Association is a trade association representing five member companies that own 14 U.S.-flag catcher-processor vessels operating in the Bering Sea / Aleutian Islands Alaska pollock fishery. This abundant and well-managed fishery provides product for billions of seafood meals every year, more than any other fishery on Earth.
MRAG Americas is a private consulting and auditing company focused on activities that support the conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems through responsible, rational and sustainable use of fish and other aquatic resources. They are an accredited Conformity Assessment Body, authorized to carry out FISH Standard for Crew assessments and certifications.
