“I am very pleased to have achieved the high standards set by the RFS, and believe it will be beneficial to me in terms of maintaining market share in an increasingly competitive environment,” says Brian.
To mark the occasion, Jess Sparks, Environmental and Technical Manager for Seafood Scotland (SFS), which promotes the scheme in Scotland, presented Brian with a specially designed fleece emblazoned with both the RFS and SFS logos.
“The Scottish fleet has endorsed RFS across all sectors and all gear types, from pelagic and whitefish, to static and mobile shellfish vessels. In addition, member vessels are active on the West and East coasts, and on the Western Isles and Shetland,” he advises.
Jess Sparks says that the number of boats joining the scheme is growing steadily, partly as a result of buyers demanding RFS as a condition of preferred source of supply. “RFS is an excellent way for a vessel to demonstrate best practice and responsible fishing techniques to buyers, and a growing number of seafood companies are using it to differentiate product in the market place,” he states. “There are 100+ Scottish vessels accredited now and such a large pool gives foodservice and retail buyers access to a large volume of RFS seafood,” he adds.
“We are very proud to congratulate the skipper and crew of Ocean Harvest in achieving their RFS certification and being the 100th Scottish vessel. It is a very exciting time for the scheme as it continues to grow and gain recognition from major industry suppliers. This is a great opportunity to promote Scottish seafood by raising the standards across the board,” says Mick Bacon, Responsible Fishing Scheme Coordinator.
