The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute announced today that
it has opened its Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management Conformance Criteria
for public review and comment through Feb. 3.
All comments will be presented to the Alaska RFM Conformance
Criteria Committee, which will be formally reviewing the standard.
This past May, ASMI posted its Alaska RFM Certification
program improvement work plan, with an update on that plan posted on Oct. 27.
The 60-day public review and comment is another aspect of the work plan.
To ensure the review process is inclusive, ASMI officials
said, they are calling upon all parties with an interest in responsibly managed
fisheries to review and offer their expertise and comments, to ensure that its
RFM Certification program remains consistent with United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization key reference documents.
A form for submission of comments is online at http://certification.alaskaseafood.org/public-consultation
ASMI has for several years offered its sustainable seafoods
certification program, using the FAO-based model because it meets the highest
benchmarks for credible certification, according to ASMI.
The program assures customers that Alaska seafood products
are managed sustainably and that no overfishing occurs.
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