The Audubon Nature Institute’s Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (GULF) Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification programme is to transition to the Certified Seafood Collaborative’s (CSC) RFM certification programme, beginning with an assessment for white, brown and pink shrimp in all five Gulf states and federal waters.
“We are pleased to have the largest shrimp fishery in the United States enter into an RFM assessment. It’s well known that Gulf of Mexico shrimpers have long demonstrated responsible harvesting practices within their fishery. Certification body, Global Trust, is conducting the RFM assessment, verifying if they meet the RFM standard,” CSC Chairman Mark Fina said.
“Every step of the way, there has been alignment between our two certification programmes, and it’s an honour to welcome them into CSC’s growing RFM certification programme. We anticipate continued growth in value and market reach for RFM-certified seafood products.”
Audubon Nature Institute’s Coastal Conservation and Sustainability Initiatives Director John Fallon explained that the GULF RFM programme began in 2012 to answer the call of stakeholders who wanted to provide a choice in seafood certification that could demonstrate the responsible practices of Gulf fisheries.
“Through the official request of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and just like Alaska and Iceland did, we created an independent RFM certification programme based on internationally-accepted principles set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),” Fallon said.
The programme became the first to achieve the GSSI benchmark in 2016 while growing in scope to include fisheries operating within the US and Canada 200nm EEZ. The GULF programme achieved GSSI recognition in 2018.
“When we saw the Pacific whiting fishery covering Washington, Oregon and California, achieve RFM certification in July 2022, we knew this was a great opportunity to transition over to the CSC beginning with the Gulf shrimp fishery,” Fallon said. “With its growing geographic scope and global reach, we believe CSC RFM certification will help us provide validation to businesses and consumers as they make their seafood buying choices.”
Audubon will work with CSC to transition the scheme into the Gulf of Mexico region, helping make connections with industry. Meanwhile, CSC will be looking to bring more Gulf industry members into its leadership structure.
