Juneau, A.K. — Certified Seafood International, Inc. (CSI) has revealed a new choice in the certification of wild-capture seafood. CSI will focus on delivering an affordable and effective eco-certification program that provides credible assurance, expands access to more high-performing fisheries and promotes greater transparency about the seafood that we eat.
“All of us want wild-capture fisheries to remain healthy and productive for generations to come,” says Christine Penney, Chair of the CSI Board and VP of Sustainability and Public Affairs at Clearwater Seafoods. “Credible third-party certification programs have an important role to play in recognizing responsible management practices and providing assurance to the market. We’re pleased that CSI will expand the choices available to global seafood steakholders.”
CSI was developed in partnership with credible regional certification programs and looks to build upon those successes. Most significantly, the certificates and standards of the GSSI benchmarked Responsible Fishery Management (RFM) program are rolling into CSI, meaning that approximately three million metric tons of fishery landings are currently certified. The program’s new global governing board currently includes individuals from Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S.
“The CSI program will assess fisheries against a clear and rigorous Fisheries Standard grounded in the Guidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),” says Mike Kraft, CSI executive director. “We believe that a stable standard, focused on fisheries management and based on internationally recognized UN principles, provides clarity and consistency that is vital for fisheries striving to achieve certification.”
