Certified Seafood Collaborative’s Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM)

certification program

On 12 July 2016 the GSSI Steering Board announced its recognition of the Certified Seafood Collaborative’s Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Program for the scope of Fisheries Certification at the 32nd session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in Rome, Italy.

GSSI’s recognition shows that the Certified Seafood Collaborative’s RFM Program, with Fisheries Management Standard Version 1.3, effective 1 January 2016, is in alignment with all 143 applicable Essential Components of the GSSI Global Benchmark Tool (version 1.0, 8 October 2015). The Tool is grounded in the FAO Guidelines for the Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries and consists of performance areas related to scheme governance, operational management (including chain of custody) and applied wild-capture fisheries audit standards.

Scheme Owner

Certified Seafood Collaborative

Date of Recognition

12 July 2016, 
Read the news release

Scope of Recognition

Fisheries Certification
(Responsible Fisheries Management Standard version 1.3, effective 1 January 2016)

Steering Board Liaison

Aldin Hilbrands, Director Aquaculture Program, IDH

Independent Experts
  • Josie Foster, Director, J Foster Consulting LTD
  • Dr. Kevin Stokes, Director, Stokes.Net.NZ LTD
Benchmark Committee Members
  • Aimee Russillo, Independent Consultant, Liseed Consulting
  • Dr. Joseph DeAlteris, President, Dealteris Associates Inc.
  • Mark Boulter, Director, Safe Sustainable Seafood Pty Ltd.
  • Pavel Salz, Director, Framian
Public Consultation

8 March – 5 April 2016

Monitoring of Continued Alignment (MOCA)

Date of MOCA Completion: August 8, 2019

The Monitoring of Continued Alignment (MOCA) procedure is a periodic review process where the Scheme provides a full overview of any changes in the Scheme’s ownership, management or the standard itself. This report on the Scheme’s continued implementation is reviewed by independent experts, who make a recommendation on continued recognition of the Scheme.

Certified Seafood Collaborative’s MOCA process for the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Standard version 1.3 (effective 1 January 2016) was completed on 8th August 2019 and continued recognition was approved. Read the overview here.

The Independent Experts were:

  • Josie Foster, Director, J Foster Consulting Ltd
  • Dr. Kevin Stokes, Director, Stokes.Net.Nz LTD

The Benchmark Committee Members were:

  • Aimee Russillo, Independent Consultant, Liseed Consulting
  • Dr. Joseph DeAlteris, President, Dealteris Associates Inc.
  • Rebecca Clarkson, Environment Manager, Aquaculture New Zealand

Governance

Operational Management

(including chain of custody)

Fisheries Certification Standard