Saving Seafood

At-sea Processors Association Celebrates Landmark FISH Crew Certification of its Catcher-Processor Fleet

August 25, 2022 — The following was released by the At-sea Processors Association:

At-sea Processors Association (APA) announce today its catcher-processor fleet has been certified using the FISH Standard for Crew, an independent third-party certification program for labor practices on fishing vessels. The certification covers 14 catcher-processor vessels operating in the Alaska pollock and Pacific hake fisheries, which annually provide product for billions of seafood meals enjoyed by American and global consumers.

“Our employees are at the core of our operations,” said Jim Johnson, who serves as APA President and is also President & CEO of Glacier Fish Company, one of APA’s five members. “It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that crew members are treated with the utmost fairness at every stage of the recruitment and employment process. We are proud to have voluntarily committed to this additional layer of scrutiny, which should give buyers and consumers continued confidence that we are doing right by the men and women who produce our seafood.”

The exhaustive audit process included inspection of vessels; private interviews with crews; review of company recruitment practices, pay records and grievance logs; examination of safety protocols; and scrutiny of many other aspects of catcher-processor vessel operations relating to crew welfare.

“APA members have long-standing commitments to safety and responsible treatment of crews, and now their catcher-processor vessels are independently confirmed to be operating in accordance with rigorous crew welfare standards,” said Stephanie Madsen, APA’s Executive Director. “There is a lot of momentum right now—from governments, industry, and civil society—to address instances of unethical treatment of workers in global supply chains. We believe the FISH Standard for Crew can be one important tool in those efforts as they relate to seafood. Through this certification, we are proud to be helping raise the bar on what should be expected globally from those who operate fishing vessels.”

The certified APA vessels are operated by American Seafoods, Arctic Storm, Coastal Villages, Glacier Fish, and  Trident Seafoods.

The At-sea Processors Association is a trade association representing five member companies that own 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.

New Labour Certification Standard Seeks Public Input

January 8, 2021 — The following was released by FISH Standard for Crew:

The recently announced FISH Standard for Crew, a voluntary, independent certification program for labour practices on fishing vessels, is seeking public comment from any interested parties on its draft Standard that third-party auditors will use to certify labour practices on fishing vessels. FISH Standard for Crew Inc. is the owner of the FISH Standard and represents a diverse collection of fish harvesting and seafood supply chain experts.  The Board of the FISH Standard for Crew engaged a global group of experts to help develop and refine the draft Standard.  It now seeks public input on the Standard.

“The FISH Standards Oversight Committee developed a robust Standard that is both rigorous and practical,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH Standard’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. “Public comments will help ensure we did not miss any essential items.”

The FISH Standard for Crew requests that comments on the Standard be specific and reference clearly identified measures within the text. The nine-person Standards Oversight Committee and eleven-person Board of Directors will review all comments.

“This process is essential to ensuring a robust Standard,” said Fridriksson. “Being inclusive and transparent is an important part of the process to develop an accredited certification program.”

The comment period will run for 60 days and end 8 March 2021. FISH will not publish attributed comments, but may make public a summary of unattributed responses.

The full text of the Standard and the comment submission form can be found on the FISH website. Comments made using the template can be emailed to publiccomment@fishstandard.org.