Alaska sablefish and Pollock fisheries certified to the FAO Based Responsible Fisheries Management Certification Program (Date:23 December 2011)
Alaska sablefish and Pollock fisheries certified to the FAO Based Responsible Fisheries Management Certification Program
In October last, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute announced their third fishery to meet the requirements of certification for the FAO Based Responsible Fisheries Management Program. Alaska Sablefish fisheries operate across Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and in the Gulf of Alaska. The fisheries are federally managed in addition to close liaison with the State managed fisheries under the responsibility of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game operating throughout Alaska. Sablefish fisheries are landed by a variety of gears and vessel classifications in directed and indirect fisheries. Dave Garforth said that through careful assessment and review, the certification was able to consider all gears, regions, jurisdictions and management entities in order to deliver a certificate allowing a common reference of responsible fisheries management of all sablefish fisheries in Alaska waters.
And just recently in December, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute was able to follow this acclamation of responsible management by celebrating the certification of the world’s largest whitefish fishery ‘the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Alaska Pollock fishery. The Alaska Pollock fishery is often regarded as a poster child of responsible fisheries management and now, through the last 8 months of detailed assessment from a Global Trust appointed team of experts, verification through third, party certification according to ISO 65 accreditation requirements has been gained by the Alaska Pollock fisheries.
Certification to the FAO Based Program has been met with considerable interest from the market noted Mike Platt, Global Trust’s Supply Chain Certification Manager, with a plethora of Alaska seafood businesses turning their attention to chain of custody certification in order to state the Responsible Fishery claim in the marketplace.