The Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) is a voluntary vessel based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels.
The independently audited scheme demonstrates that a vessel and its skipper are operating to best practice in 5 core areas:
-Safety, health and welfare
-Training and professional development
-The vessel and its mission
-Care of the catch
-Care for the environment.
Established in 2006, the scheme is open to all types of fishing vessels and fisheries. The RFS was developed by Seafish to enable the skippers of RFS certified vessels to demonstrate their compliance with industry best practice and thus enable the supply chain to demonstrate its commitment to responsible sourcing by buying from such vessels. In 2014 the scheme underwent a complete review and is being formally re-launched in mid 2015. The modified RFS will feature a new vessel standards – the RFS Vessel Standard, Requirements for certification. Vessels and their skipper will be audited against the standard by the scheme’s independent certification body.
Following the launch Sheryll said, “I was really pleased that Seafish came to Parliament to launch their campaign and that so many of my colleagues came to support it and to take the message to their constituents.”
Contact: Sheryll Murray MP 01579 344428