Two Bristol Bay direct marketers have become the first in Bristol Bay to receive Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for Alaska salmon.
Certified Seafood Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation with a diverse board of seafood and sustainability experts, made the announcement in mid-April identifying the two recipients as Net to Table Seafoods and Great Northern seafoods.
Both entities participated in the RFM chain of custody pilot program for direct marketers, which was designed to make the chain of custody process more accessible to this sector known to have minimal risk.
They were certified to the Unified RFM Chain of Custody Standard, Issue 2.5, which is a joint CoC owned by the Certified Seafood Collaborative and Iceland Responsible Fisheries Foundation. Both assessments were conducted by Global Trust Certification. Each certificate is valid for three years with annual surveillance audits.
“Having both of these outstanding direct marketers achieve RFM CoC will give their customers further confidence that their wild-caught Alaska sockeye salmon comes from well-managed fisheries, without illegal or destructive fishing practices,” said Jeff Regnart, RFM program manager. “It’s our hope that other direct marketers will see the value of achieving RFM CoC, and join our growing program.”
“These fishermen and fishing families of Bristol Bay have been deeply committed to ensuring a successfully managed fisher for 130 years,” said Lilani Dunn, marketing director for Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.
