San Diego, CA— April 21, 2022— FISH Standard for Crew Inc. is pleased to announce that NovaNam (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian-based subsidiary of the Nueva Pescanova Group, the At-Sea Processors Association (APA), representing United States flagged Alaskan pollock catcher- processors, and the Fishing Industry Association – Papua New Guinea (FIA-PNG) are the first organizations to complete FISH Standard audits.

“I am truly excited about the geographical, operational and organizational diversity of the fleets that have come forward for the first FISH audits,” said Mike Kraft, FISH Standard for Crew Executive Director. “These audits were originally planned for 2021, but the ongoing pandemic prevented auditor travel and limited access to quarantined crews. Having auditors on the vessel and performing in-person crew interviews is critical to the credibility of the process and FISH Standard.”

“We believe FISH can serve as one of the tools to help ensure fishers are treated fairly and responsibly, and give harvesters a way to demonstrate that commitment to their stakeholders,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH Standard’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. “Focus on the responsible treatment of workers is only increasing and stakeholders expect that seafood not only offer environmentally, sustainable sources, but socially responsible ones as well.”

FISH audits include onsite vessel inspections and in-person crew interviews, in addition to policy and procedure review. The audits in Namibia, Seattle, and Papua New Guinea, were performed by Bureau Veritas, MRAG Americas, and SGS auditors. The NovaNam review covers nine deep-sea trawlers and APA’s represents 15 catcher/processor vessels. FIA-PNG previously announced its pursuit of FISH certification for 32 purse seiners. Final reports and results are currently being completed.

Additionally, Iceland Responsible Fisheries Foundation (IRFF) and Phoenix Processor Limited Partnership of Seattle have also initiated the FISH process and will conduct third-party audits in the coming months.

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FISH Standard for Crew provides a voluntary, independent and accredited third-party certification program for labour practices on vessels in wild-capture fisheries around the globe.

Following a sixty day public consultation period, the FISH Standard for Crew releases Standard and Auditor Guidance

San Diego, CA— May 3, 2021—FISH Standard for Crew Inc., a voluntary, independent certification program for labour practices on fishing vessels, has released version 1.0 of FISH Standard for Crew and Auditor Guidance Manual.  The release follows a sixty day public consultation period that ran in January and February, 2021. 

“We are excited to publish the finalized and approved FISH Standard and Auditor Guidance Manual and move one step closer to getting the FISH Standard into action,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH Standard’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. “The public consultation process is critical to ensuring we move forward with a robust and credible standard.”

During March and April, the FISH Standard Oversight Committee(SOC) reviewed more than 150 comments received on the Standard.  Every comment submitted was seriously considered and thoroughly examined by the FISH SOC. Recommended responses and corresponding changes to the Standard and Auditor Guidance Manual were submitted to the FISH Board of Directors for review and were approved on April 14, 2021.  

“I cannot thank those who participated enough for taking the time and effort to provide comments on the FISH Standard for Crew.  The valuable comments definitely served to improve and strengthen the FISH Standard and the Auditor Guidance Manual.” said Mike Kraft, Executive Director for the FISH Standard for Crew. “The SOC was diligent and comprehensive in its review of comments and recommended changes to FISH documents.”

The release of the Standard and Auditor Guidance clears the way to move towards pilot audits.  All the public comments and FISH responses, as well as the versions 1.0 of the FISH Standard for Crew and the Auditor Guidance Manual can be found on the FISH website.  

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FISH Standard for Crew provides a voluntary, independent and accredited third-party certification program for labour practices on vessels in wild-capture fisheries around the globe.

Mike Kraft brings strong operational experience in seafood to the new organization

San Diego, CA— January 22, 2021—FISH Standard for Crew Inc., a voluntary, independent certification program for labour practices on fishing vessels, announces Mike Kraft as its Executive Director. Kraft has been the Vice President of Global Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Bumble Bee Seafoods for over eleven years and brings deep knowledge and experience with social standards to the table.

“As a United States Marine Corps officer for over a decade, who also happens to have an MBA, Mike brings outstanding leadership and business acumen to our organization,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH Standard’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. “Importantly, he also brings extensive knowledge of the wild-capture fisheries community and hands-on experience with vessel social audits.”

Over the past decade Kraft has effectively engaged harvesters, retail customers, auditors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies on a breadth of sustainability and social responsibility issues. He has led initiatives in the areas of seafood traceability, Fishery Improvement Projects, and MSC certification. Kraft has also been involved in collaborative pre-competitive organizations, including the Seafood Task Force.

“I am truly thrilled to be taking on the Executive Director role at FISH and look forward to using my experience to advance the important, and outstanding, work the FISH Board and Standards Oversight Committee have begun,” said Kraft.

As Executive Director, Kraft will work closely with the FISH Standard’s leadership which includes an eleven-person Board of Directors and eight-person Standards Oversight Committee.

“The expectations for responsible treatment of all workers within seafood supply chains, particularly the fishers, are higher than ever from retailers and food service operators, governments, NGOs and consumers,” said Kraft. “FISH will help harvesters assure stakeholders that the seafood they’re sourcing comes from a responsible partner with respect to crew treatment.”

FISH recently announced its Standard is open for public comment through 8 March 2021. FISH welcomes feedback from any interested parties. The full text of the FISH Standard and comment template can be found here.

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FISH Standard for Crew provides a voluntary, independent and accredited third-party certification program for labour practices on vessels in wild-capture fisheries around the globe.