Saving Seafood

First vessel attains GSA’s Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard

January 14, 2021 — The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Global Seafood Assurances (GSA) venture – launched in 2018 – has had its first vessel reach its Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS).

The Antarctic Discovery, which belongs to Australian Longline Fishing, is a longliner operating in a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fishery for Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. The vessel, which is 56-meters long and carries a crew of between 20 to 25 people – plus two observers – was awarded the RFVS certificate by Lloyds Register, the GSA announced.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

GSA spotlights “Worker Voice” in fight to ensure fair labor standards

December 14, 2020 — A new white paper commissioned by Global Seafood Assurances (GSA) is offering a comprehensive look at the tools and resources that exist to ensure social welfare on board the world’s fishing vessels.

The paper, Worker Voice on Fishing Vessels, documents the initiatives, organizations, and projects available around the world that offer fishing crews a means to voice concerns, have influence over matters that affect them in the workplace, and have access to third party advice and grievance mechanisms for remediation. It also identifies common definitions and terms used to describe these concepts.

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Thai Union, AENOR, and GSA team up to collaborate on fishing vessel standards

September 8, 2020 — Thai Union Group, AENOR, and Global Seafood Assurances (GSA) have avowed to share knowledge and resources with one another “to create efficiencies across their individual, respective and proprietary programs,” according to a 3 September announcement.

The organizations, which have each established standards and best practice for fishing vessels and crew welfare, signed a memorandum of understanding at the start of the month that “represents an opportunity to collaborate on constant improvement for the future,” they said in a press release.

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GSA urges seafood industry to take short online global survey on worker voice

August 13, 2020 — Global Seafood Assurance (GSA) is urging anyone involved in the seafood industry to help it gather data on how workers’ voices are heard by filling in a short online global survey. The exercise is part of the Fishing Vessel Crews Worker Voice project.

The questionnaire asks respondents to explain their understanding of various terms, including fisheries worker voice, grievance mechanisms and procedures, works committees, worker empowerment tools and feedback technology, hotlines, collective organizing, freedom of association, fish worker trade unions, participative management, worker representation, and social dialogue.

Read the full story at Seafood Source