Get Certified

FISH Certification Process 

Prospective FISH clients choose from Certification Bodies (CB) who are trained and authorized to conduct audits and issue FISH Standard for Crew certificates (see below list of CBs). 

Prospective FISH clients will work with a CB to define the unit of certification and begin the audit process which entails three stages: 

  • Pre-audit document collection and review 
  • Office/operations on site visit 
  • Vessel audits (risk-based sampling for fleets with multiple vessels) and crew interviews  

A FISH certificate is valid for three years subject to ongoing compliance in surveillance audits.   

There are two cost components to FISH certification: 

  1. Direct Cost of Audit: This cost is negotiated directly between FISH applicant and the CB.  CB’s audit costs can be driven by a number factors including but not limited to: 
  • Location(s) of entity and vessel(s) 
  • Number and size of vessels in unit of certification 
  • Complexity of the unit of certification e.g. number of different flags, fishing zones 
  • Language(s) of the crew 
  • Accessibility of vessel/crew e.g. how much notice when in port, turnaround time in port  
  1. Program Associated Costs: These are annual fees paid to FISH during the life of the certificate based on combination of number and size of vessels, and number of crew in unit of certification.  Fees have a floor of $2,000 and a ceiling of $15,000, with elevated ceiling for large association/group certifications.   

Please contact Mike Kraft with additional questions. 

Certification Bodies Authorized to Perform FISH Audits 

FISH authorizes CBs to undertake FISH audits and issue certificates following a defined process of CB application, review, acceptance, and approval. An “applicant” CB must fulfill basic competencies for third-party auditing and certification (i.e., accreditation to ISO 17065), as well as committing to attain independent accreditation for the FISH Standard for Crew. Once an applicant CB has satisfactorily demonstrated competence in FISH auditing, the CB may be recommended to the FISH Board for authorization as an “accepted” CB. In the final step, an accepted CB attains independent accreditation for the scheme and is authorized as a fully “approved” CB. Given that the FISH Standard is a new program and accreditation can a lengthy process, CBs are allowed a two-year transition period to move to from “accepted” to “approved” authorization status.  

FISH Standard for Crew “Accepted” CBs 

MRAG Americas 

SGS  

  • Point of Contact: Cormac O’Sullivan 
  • Completed FISH Audits: Phoenix Processors Limited Partnership, Fishing Industry Association Papua New Guinea, Iceland Responsible Fisheries Foundation 

FISH Standard for Crew “Applicant” CBs 

Control Union