January 8, 2021 — The following was released by FISH Standard for Crew:
The recently announced FISH Standard for Crew, a voluntary, independent certification program for labour practices on fishing vessels, is seeking public comment from any interested parties on its draft Standard that third-party auditors will use to certify labour practices on fishing vessels. FISH Standard for Crew Inc. is the owner of the FISH Standard and represents a diverse collection of fish harvesting and seafood supply chain experts. The Board of the FISH Standard for Crew engaged a global group of experts to help develop and refine the draft Standard. It now seeks public input on the Standard.
“The FISH Standards Oversight Committee developed a robust Standard that is both rigorous and practical,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH Standard’s Board of Directors and Chief Human Resources Officer at Brim. “Public comments will help ensure we did not miss any essential items.”
The FISH Standard for Crew requests that comments on the Standard be specific and reference clearly identified measures within the text. The nine-person Standards Oversight Committee and eleven-person Board of Directors will review all comments.
“This process is essential to ensuring a robust Standard,” said Fridriksson. “Being inclusive and transparent is an important part of the process to develop an accredited certification program.”
The comment period will run for 60 days and end 8 March 2021. FISH will not publish attributed comments, but may make public a summary of unattributed responses.
The full text of the Standard and the comment submission form can be found on the FISH website. Comments made using the template can be emailed to publiccomment@fishstandard.org.