Saving Seafood

Seafood Working Group critiques FISH Standard for Crew

April 21, 2021 — The Seafood Working Group (SWG) released a statement on Tuesday, 20 April, urging seafood retailers and buyers to regard the Fairness, Integrity, Safety, and Health (FISH) Standard for Crew warily in terms of its effectiveness as a “mechanism for the identification of labor abuse on fishing vessels in seafood supply chains.”

The statement, signed by 28 organizations comprising SWG, states that the FISH standard possesses “significant weaknesses in design, application, and monitoring” and “will not provide buyers with credible assurances that the fishers who produce their seafood are treated fairly or have safe and decent conditions of work.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

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.

New Organization To Provide Labour Certification for Fishing Vessels

January 5, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

Developed by a diverse group of experts in fish harvesting with consultation from labour non-profit organisations, the FISH Standard for Crew is developing a voluntary, independent and accredited third-party certification program for labour practices on vessels in wild-capture fisheries. The name “FISH” represents the scope of the standard: Fairness, Integrity, Safety and Health.

The FISH Standard is designed to ensure that fish sold in markets, grocery stores and restaurants around the world is harvested by crews who are recruited and hired ethically, treated with respect on the vessel, paid properly, and have fair processes to address grievances. The FISH Standard certification will be open to wild-capture harvesters of all sizes.

FISH has an eleven-person Board of Directors, Chaired by Fridrik Fridriksson, Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. FISH also has a nine-person Standards Oversight Committee (SOC) that developed and updates the audit standards. The FISH Standard draws on the experiences of individuals who helped develop international agreements on labour practices. Members of the FISH Board and SOC represent nearly every corner of the globe, bringing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences in fisheries and labour to the table.

“While most seafood companies work ethically and in line with various labour standards and protocols, both legal and voluntary, to ensure proper treatment of crews, there have been challenges and bad actors in the industry,” said Fridriksson. “Media reports have shined a spotlight on these issues and highlighted the fact that everyone harvesting seafood deserves fair and equitable treatment. The FISH Standard provides a credible, worldwide standard to ensure proper treatment of crews, like you see with third-party certifiers of food safety.”

The FISH Standard supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8, which promotes sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

“Governments, industry participants and civil society all have critical roles to play in ensuring that people are treated fairly and have safe and decent working conditions,” said FISH Board member, Matt Tinning, Director of Sustainability and Public Affairs for the At-sea Processors Association. “In tandem with other initiatives, we believe the development of a uniform labour standard that seafood buyers can trust is an important step, and has the potential to become a key component of global seafood assurance.”

The FISH Standard provides a needed independent, third-party global certification that makes fair labour a key component in any sourcing discussion. Look for more information on the 60-day public consultation period for the FISH Standard opening soon.