Thirty-three Fishing Industry Association Papua New Guinea (FIA PNG) tuna purse seiners have been accredited for their onboard labour practices.
The FISH Standard for Crew certification, issued by SGS, follows extensive policy and procedure review, on-site vessel inspections, and face-to-face interviews of staff, captains, and crew members.
“The fourth pillar of FIA PNG’s Responsible Sourcing Policy is crew welfare, an area we have worked hard on for a number of years implementing policies and practices across our member companies while partnering with outside experts to identify best practices,” explained Sylvester Pokajam, FIA PNG’s president and chair.
“FISH certification, whose audits have worked to further improve our practices, was the next logical step in our journey,” he added.
FIA PNG joins Nueva Pescanova’s NovaNam fleet in Namibia, APA Alaska catcher-processor vessels, and PPLP Alaska motherships in successfully attaining FISH certification.
“FISH ultimately seeks to better the conditions for fishers and to serve as a tool that harvesters like FIA PNG can use to demonstrate their commitment to crew welfare, compensation and onboard conditions,” said Fridrik Fridriksson, chair of the FISH’s board of directors and chief human resources officer at Brim.
