Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s Responsible Fisheries Management certification nears GSSI recognition

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative, which evaluates the reliability of seafood certification programs, is close to recognizing Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s Responsible Fisheries Management certification program.

The GSSI announced at Seafood Expo North America that ASMI’s RFM certification had met standards in the three required areas of governance, operations and fisheries management. The final step in the process is a four-week public consultation that runs through 5 April, 2016.

“Our hope is that we would have an official decision by mid-April and then an official announcement at [Seafood Expo Global in Brussels] at the end of April,” Susan Marks, sustainability program director for ASMI, said to Fisherman’s News Online.

The GSSI was launched in October 2015 seeking to “provide clarity of seafood certification worldwide.” Its three-component review is based upon the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO Guidelines for seafood certification and eco-labeling.

The Alaska FRM is the first program to go through the GSSI review process. The benchmark report, its executive summary and the form to enter public comments can be found at the GSSI website.